Columbia Climate School

Columbia Climate School's articles

  1. Environmental Science

SIPA Alumni Champion Wildlife Protection at Major Conference in Uzbekistan – State of the Planet

For two weeks in late November and early December, the ancient Silk Road city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, became the epicenter of global conservation diplomacy. Delegates from around the world gathered for the 20th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora—better known as CITES COP20. Their task […]
Written by
  1. Environmental Science

Scientists Search for Ancient Climate Clues Beneath Antarctic Ice  – State of the Planet

The vast West Antarctic Ice Sheet holds enough ice to raise global sea level by 4 to 5 meters if it melts completely. It is protected on one side by the Ross Ice Shelf, the world’s largest floating ice mass, that serves as a buttress slowing the flow of glaciers and ice streams towards the […]
Written by
  1. Environmental Science

Proposing a GenAI Chatbot Framework for Youth Disaster Risk Reduction – State of the Planet

An artist’s illustration of artificial intelligence. Credit: Google DeepMind via Pexels Over the past decade, communities across the United States have faced a steady rise in severe weather events. Climate Central reports more than 193 major disasters during this period, resulting in over $1.5 trillion in economic losses and 6,403 deaths. Beyond the staggering figures, […]
Written by
  1. Environmental Science

Reducing Arsenic in Drinking Water Cuts Risk of Death, Even After Years of Chronic Exposure – State of the Planet

Credit: Lingkon Serao A new 20-year study of nearly 11,000 adults in Bangladesh found that lowering arsenic levels in drinking water was associated with up to a 50 percent lower risk of death from heart disease, cancer and other chronic illnesses, compared with continued exposure. Published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, […]
Written by
  1. Environmental Science

Earth’s Continents Stabilized Due to Furnace-Like Heat, Study Reveals – State of the Planet

Adapted from a press release written by Marina Naumova for Penn State University. For billions of years, Earth’s continents have remained remarkably stable, forming the foundation for mountains, ecosystems and civilizations. But the secret to their stability has mystified scientists for more than a century. Now, a new study by researchers at Penn State and […]
Written by
  1. Environmental Science

A New Study Indicates Forest Regeneration Provides Climate Benefits, but Won’t Offset Fossil Fuels – State of the Planet

In brief Regenerating forests typically absorb small amounts of methane but release enough nitrous oxide to create a net warming effect from these two gases combined Carbon dioxide absorbed by growing trees far outweighs this warming effect in most ecosystems—even after 100 years Natural ecosystems produce much lower greenhouse gas emissions than agricultural land, showing […]
Written by
  1. Environmental Science

Columbia Will Co-Lead Major Project To Study Global Carbon Cycle – State of the Planet

Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier, one of the most rapidly melting glaciers in the world. Credit: James Yungel/NASA ICE via Flickr Four teams of scientists, including a team co-led by Columbia University researchers, will receive up to $45 million over five years for research that advances human understanding of the global carbon cycle driving a changing climate. […]
Written by
  1. Environmental Science

The Ocean Carbon Sink Is Ailing – State of the Planet

Image: Philip Thurston Adapted from a release written by Michael Keller for ETH Zurich. In brief Extreme sea surface temperatures in 2023 resulted in high CO₂ outgassing, particularly in the North Atlantic, meaning that the global ocean absorbed less CO₂ overall. Thanks to El Niño, much less CO₂ than usual escaped into the atmosphere in […]
Written by
  1. Environmental Science

Rivers Choose Their Path Based on Erosion—a Discovery That Could Transform Flood Planning – State of the Planet

Flood damage in Kerrville, Texas. Photo: World Central Kitchen Adapted from a press release written by Harrison Tasoff for the University of California, Santa Barbara. Rivers are Earth’s arteries. Water, sediment and nutrients self-organize into diverse, dynamic channels as they journey from the mountains to the sea. Some rivers carve out a single pathway, while […]
Written by
  1. Environmental Science

More and more people missing from official data – State of the Planet

Experts are warning that millions of people around the world aren’t being counted in census data, leaving policy makers in the dark about the populations they govern. They say a “quiet crisis” is unfolding with census data not being published due to concerns about declining response rates and the accuracy of data. In a paper […]
Written by
  1. Environmental Science

A Small Island Offers Big Lessons in Sustainability – State of the Planet

Far from the bustle of Columbia’s campus, a group of undergraduate students in degree programs managed by the Climate School Office of Undergraduate Programs recently journeyed to Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts, to explore sustainability through lived experience. The Cuttyhunk Practicum, which began in 2024 as a partnership between Columbia and Barnard professors Jason Smerdon and Sandra […]
Written by
  1. Environmental Science

Lamont-Doherty Mourns IT Exec and Entrepreneur Edward Botwinick BS’58 – State of the Planet

Columbia mourns the loss of Edward Botwinick ’56CC, BS’58 and emeritus member of the LDEO Board, who passed away Jan. 24, 2025. Botwinick was an IT entrepreneur, a pioneer in the area of time-division multiplexing and a strong supporter of Columbia University and Columbia Football. Botwinick received his BA in physics from Columbia College in […]
Written by

Login

Welcome to Life Science News!
"Explore the Latest Discoveries and Breakthroughs in Life Science with Life Science News!"
Read Smart, Save Time
Pick all the topics you are interested in to fill your homepage with stories you'll love.
Join our community
Registration is closed.