State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Tag: wildlife

  • Scientists Are Mapping New York City Wildlife. And We Don’t Mean Rats, Squirrels or Pigeons.

    Scientists Are Mapping New York City Wildlife. And We Don’t Mean Rats, Squirrels or Pigeons.

    Raccoons, coyotes, possums and other wild mammals are becoming more common in the country’s most densely populated city. New research aims to map their populations and habits in hopes of decreasing conflicts with humans.

  • Weddell Seal Population May Be Much Lower Than Previously Thought

    Weddell Seal Population May Be Much Lower Than Previously Thought

    High-resolution satellite images allowed researchers to do a more comprehensive head count than ever before, and revealed patterns in the seals’ distribution.

  • “Tell Us What You Need:” The Essential NGO Mindset

    “Tell Us What You Need:” The Essential NGO Mindset

    M.S. Sustainability Management alum Wendy Hapgood co-founded the Wild Tomorrow Fund, which is currently rewilding a large tract of land in South Africa.

  • Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: How Drilling for Oil Could Impact Wildlife

    Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: How Drilling for Oil Could Impact Wildlife

    Congress is moving closer to opening Alaska’s pristine wilderness to oil and gas development. What might that mean for the creatures living there?

  • When People Must Make Way for Nature

    When People Must Make Way for Nature

    It is the black before dawn at the gate to the Kanha Tiger Reserve, in the highlands of central India. The still air carries a dank, penetrating chill. But it is hardly quiet. A buzzing line of tourists is forming at the ticket booth, peddlers are pouring steaming cups of tea.  Groups of green-uniformed rangers chat…

  • Photo Essay: When People Must Make Way for Nature

    Photo Essay: When People Must Make Way for Nature

    The forested Kanha Tiger Reserve, in the highlands of central India, is home to an abundance of rare wildlife. It also used to be home to thousands of people—that is, until they were moved out by the government to make way for endangered creatures.

  • Alaska: Hotspot for Oil and Climate Change

    Alaska: Hotspot for Oil and Climate Change

    In September, Shell Oil abandoned its offshore oil drilling projects in the Alaskan Arctic. Why is Arctic drilling so controversial and what impacts will Shell’s announcement have?

  • Antarctica’s Wildlife in a Changing Climate

    Antarctica’s Wildlife in a Changing Climate

    We hear a lot about polar bears and other Arctic mammals in connection to climate change, but what about biodiversity in Antarctica?

  • Finding Threatened Animals New Homes

    Finding Threatened Animals New Homes

    Translocation in wildlife conservation is the capture, transport and release or introduction of species, habitats or other ecological material from one location to another. The authors argue that many species will need to move to a different location in order to survive. For species that are unable to relocate naturally, the only chance of survival…

Science for the Planet: In these short video explainers, discover how scientists and scholars across the Columbia Climate School are working to understand the effects of climate change and help solve the crisis.
  • Scientists Are Mapping New York City Wildlife. And We Don’t Mean Rats, Squirrels or Pigeons.

    Scientists Are Mapping New York City Wildlife. And We Don’t Mean Rats, Squirrels or Pigeons.

    Raccoons, coyotes, possums and other wild mammals are becoming more common in the country’s most densely populated city. New research aims to map their populations and habits in hopes of decreasing conflicts with humans.

  • Weddell Seal Population May Be Much Lower Than Previously Thought

    Weddell Seal Population May Be Much Lower Than Previously Thought

    High-resolution satellite images allowed researchers to do a more comprehensive head count than ever before, and revealed patterns in the seals’ distribution.

  • “Tell Us What You Need:” The Essential NGO Mindset

    “Tell Us What You Need:” The Essential NGO Mindset

    M.S. Sustainability Management alum Wendy Hapgood co-founded the Wild Tomorrow Fund, which is currently rewilding a large tract of land in South Africa.

  • Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: How Drilling for Oil Could Impact Wildlife

    Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: How Drilling for Oil Could Impact Wildlife

    Congress is moving closer to opening Alaska’s pristine wilderness to oil and gas development. What might that mean for the creatures living there?

  • When People Must Make Way for Nature

    When People Must Make Way for Nature

    It is the black before dawn at the gate to the Kanha Tiger Reserve, in the highlands of central India. The still air carries a dank, penetrating chill. But it is hardly quiet. A buzzing line of tourists is forming at the ticket booth, peddlers are pouring steaming cups of tea.  Groups of green-uniformed rangers chat…

  • Photo Essay: When People Must Make Way for Nature

    Photo Essay: When People Must Make Way for Nature

    The forested Kanha Tiger Reserve, in the highlands of central India, is home to an abundance of rare wildlife. It also used to be home to thousands of people—that is, until they were moved out by the government to make way for endangered creatures.

  • Alaska: Hotspot for Oil and Climate Change

    Alaska: Hotspot for Oil and Climate Change

    In September, Shell Oil abandoned its offshore oil drilling projects in the Alaskan Arctic. Why is Arctic drilling so controversial and what impacts will Shell’s announcement have?

  • Antarctica’s Wildlife in a Changing Climate

    Antarctica’s Wildlife in a Changing Climate

    We hear a lot about polar bears and other Arctic mammals in connection to climate change, but what about biodiversity in Antarctica?

  • Finding Threatened Animals New Homes

    Finding Threatened Animals New Homes

    Translocation in wildlife conservation is the capture, transport and release or introduction of species, habitats or other ecological material from one location to another. The authors argue that many species will need to move to a different location in order to survive. For species that are unable to relocate naturally, the only chance of survival…