Guest's articles Environmental Science As a Glacier Retreats, a Gold Mine Advances. Why Are Some Locals Angry? – State of the Planet On the banks of the Tulsequah River, the abandoned Tulsequah Chief Mine leaks acid mine drainage into salmon habitat. Photo: Chris Miller/SFU News A small Canadian mining company, Canagold, is seeking permits and approvals to renew gold mining operations at a remote site in northwestern British Columbia (B.C.). Called the New Polaris Mine, it faces […] Written by Guest October 17, 2025October 17, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Will New Areas Uncovered by Glacier Melt Boost Swiss Hydropower and Clean Energy Goals? – State of the Planet The Rhône glacier in the Swiss Alps. Credit: Jean-Paul Wettstein/Pexels A report from the Swiss Federal Council states that terrain newly exposed by glacier melt may allow for expanded hydropower infrastructure. Facilities in these areas could generate up to 3,900 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy annually by 2050, enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes. […] Written by Guest October 9, 2025October 9, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science New EAT-Lancet Report Is a Sustainable Food Systems Roadmap – State of the Planet Aerial view of agriculture fields at Xiachuan Island. Credit: wonry/IStock The much-anticipated second EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy, Sustainable and Just Food Systems has been released, building on the landmark 2019 report that first defined the “Planetary Health Diet.” Professor of Climate Jessica Fanzo served as a commissioner, while her postdoctoral fellow, Bianca Carducci, contributed as […] Written by Guest October 6, 2025October 6, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Water, Youth and Climate Action – State of the Planet The Columbia Climate School is excited to announce the Ripple Effects: Water in a Warming World pre-college virtual workshop for fall 2025. Water covers over 70 percent of our planet and is essential to life—from sustaining ecosystems and regulating climate to providing the drinking water communities rely on every day. But as climate change accelerates, […] Written by Guest October 2, 2025October 2, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science In Nepal, Scientists and Spiritual Leaders Honor a Dying Glacier – State of the Planet On May 12, 2025, Buddha Day, Buddhist monks and scientific researchers gathered to pay tribute to Yala Glacier in Nepal’s Langtang Valley. The International Centre for Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an international NGO housed in Kathmandu, collaborated with local Indigenous community leaders to organize this event to raise awareness of Yala’s rapid retreat and highlight the […] Written by Guest September 21, 2025September 21, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Why Is Modeling Climate More Complex Than Forecasting Weather? – State of the Planet Satellite image of Hurricane Matthew. Photo: NASA Goddard In classrooms across the world, students learn that weather is what’s happening at a particular moment, while climate is the long-term pattern. And yet, climate is more than long-term weather. That means that researchers who build mathematical models of Earth’s climate have to account for many variables […] Written by Guest September 18, 2025September 18, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Scientists Respond to the Planned Termination of the Only U.S. Antarctic Research Vessel – State of the Planet On July 28, 170 researchers sent a letter to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Congress after NSF’s 2026 budget request included plans to end its lease of a U.S. research vessel in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica. The Nathaniel B. Palmer has been in operation for over 30 years and is the only U.S. […] Written by Guest September 14, 2025September 14, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Taking Science Education to the Seas With the 2025 School of Rock – State of the Planet In July, 13 science educators from all walks of life hopped on the R/V Marcus G. Langseth in San Diego. The air was filled with excitement and anticipation—none of us had a clue what was coming next. The School of Rock team prepares to board R/V Marcus Langseth in San Diego, CA. Photo: Leah Joseph, […] Written by Guest September 11, 2025September 11, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Study Finds We’ll Lose Almost 40 Percent of Our Glacial Ice – State of the Planet A recent study published in Science used glacier models to better understand the effect that each degree of global warming will have on worldwide glacier melt. The impacts of the warming the Earth has already experienced are yet to be fully realized, because glaciers have not reached equilibrium with the changing climate. The models provide […] Written by Guest September 4, 2025September 4, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Climate and Society Students Address Climate Challenges in the Real World – State of the Planet The summer capstone project is a chance for Columbia Climate School’s Climate and Society students to put academics into action. After a year spent studying subjects like climate mitigation, adaptation and justice, students partner with an organization—this year’s participants included the NYC Department of Health, the National Institute of Urban Affairs, Capgemini, H2Global, the Climate […] Written by Guest August 27, 2025August 27, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science The Link Between the Climate Crisis and Linguistic Diversity in New York City – State of the Planet In July 2025, glacial lake outburst floods on the border of Tibet and Nepal, in the Rasuwa district, killed at least 11 people. Two years earlier, in August 2023, a flash flood in Mustang, a high-altitude region in Nepal, caused an estimated 7.4 million USD in damages. In June 2021, Upper Manang, another remote mountain […] Written by Guest August 24, 2025August 24, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science How Do We Fix the Hellish Heat of the New York City Subway System? – State of the Planet Credit: David Shankbone On June 24, the date of the New York City Democratic mayoral primary and one of the hottest days of 2025, I squeeze voting into my morning before cramming into a busy and poorly ventilated train car. I cast my ballot for frontrunner Zohran Mamdani who, throughout his campaign, advocated for accessible […] Written by Guest August 20, 2025August 20, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Loading Load more
Environmental Science As a Glacier Retreats, a Gold Mine Advances. Why Are Some Locals Angry? – State of the Planet On the banks of the Tulsequah River, the abandoned Tulsequah Chief Mine leaks acid mine drainage into salmon habitat. Photo: Chris Miller/SFU News A small Canadian mining company, Canagold, is seeking permits and approvals to renew gold mining operations at a remote site in northwestern British Columbia (B.C.). Called the New Polaris Mine, it faces […] Written by Guest October 17, 2025October 17, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Will New Areas Uncovered by Glacier Melt Boost Swiss Hydropower and Clean Energy Goals? – State of the Planet The Rhône glacier in the Swiss Alps. Credit: Jean-Paul Wettstein/Pexels A report from the Swiss Federal Council states that terrain newly exposed by glacier melt may allow for expanded hydropower infrastructure. Facilities in these areas could generate up to 3,900 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy annually by 2050, enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes. […] Written by Guest October 9, 2025October 9, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science New EAT-Lancet Report Is a Sustainable Food Systems Roadmap – State of the Planet Aerial view of agriculture fields at Xiachuan Island. Credit: wonry/IStock The much-anticipated second EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy, Sustainable and Just Food Systems has been released, building on the landmark 2019 report that first defined the “Planetary Health Diet.” Professor of Climate Jessica Fanzo served as a commissioner, while her postdoctoral fellow, Bianca Carducci, contributed as […] Written by Guest October 6, 2025October 6, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Water, Youth and Climate Action – State of the Planet The Columbia Climate School is excited to announce the Ripple Effects: Water in a Warming World pre-college virtual workshop for fall 2025. Water covers over 70 percent of our planet and is essential to life—from sustaining ecosystems and regulating climate to providing the drinking water communities rely on every day. But as climate change accelerates, […] Written by Guest October 2, 2025October 2, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science In Nepal, Scientists and Spiritual Leaders Honor a Dying Glacier – State of the Planet On May 12, 2025, Buddha Day, Buddhist monks and scientific researchers gathered to pay tribute to Yala Glacier in Nepal’s Langtang Valley. The International Centre for Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an international NGO housed in Kathmandu, collaborated with local Indigenous community leaders to organize this event to raise awareness of Yala’s rapid retreat and highlight the […] Written by Guest September 21, 2025September 21, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Why Is Modeling Climate More Complex Than Forecasting Weather? – State of the Planet Satellite image of Hurricane Matthew. Photo: NASA Goddard In classrooms across the world, students learn that weather is what’s happening at a particular moment, while climate is the long-term pattern. And yet, climate is more than long-term weather. That means that researchers who build mathematical models of Earth’s climate have to account for many variables […] Written by Guest September 18, 2025September 18, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Scientists Respond to the Planned Termination of the Only U.S. Antarctic Research Vessel – State of the Planet On July 28, 170 researchers sent a letter to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Congress after NSF’s 2026 budget request included plans to end its lease of a U.S. research vessel in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica. The Nathaniel B. Palmer has been in operation for over 30 years and is the only U.S. […] Written by Guest September 14, 2025September 14, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Taking Science Education to the Seas With the 2025 School of Rock – State of the Planet In July, 13 science educators from all walks of life hopped on the R/V Marcus G. Langseth in San Diego. The air was filled with excitement and anticipation—none of us had a clue what was coming next. The School of Rock team prepares to board R/V Marcus Langseth in San Diego, CA. Photo: Leah Joseph, […] Written by Guest September 11, 2025September 11, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Study Finds We’ll Lose Almost 40 Percent of Our Glacial Ice – State of the Planet A recent study published in Science used glacier models to better understand the effect that each degree of global warming will have on worldwide glacier melt. The impacts of the warming the Earth has already experienced are yet to be fully realized, because glaciers have not reached equilibrium with the changing climate. The models provide […] Written by Guest September 4, 2025September 4, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Climate and Society Students Address Climate Challenges in the Real World – State of the Planet The summer capstone project is a chance for Columbia Climate School’s Climate and Society students to put academics into action. After a year spent studying subjects like climate mitigation, adaptation and justice, students partner with an organization—this year’s participants included the NYC Department of Health, the National Institute of Urban Affairs, Capgemini, H2Global, the Climate […] Written by Guest August 27, 2025August 27, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science The Link Between the Climate Crisis and Linguistic Diversity in New York City – State of the Planet In July 2025, glacial lake outburst floods on the border of Tibet and Nepal, in the Rasuwa district, killed at least 11 people. Two years earlier, in August 2023, a flash flood in Mustang, a high-altitude region in Nepal, caused an estimated 7.4 million USD in damages. In June 2021, Upper Manang, another remote mountain […] Written by Guest August 24, 2025August 24, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science How Do We Fix the Hellish Heat of the New York City Subway System? – State of the Planet Credit: David Shankbone On June 24, the date of the New York City Democratic mayoral primary and one of the hottest days of 2025, I squeeze voting into my morning before cramming into a busy and poorly ventilated train car. I cast my ballot for frontrunner Zohran Mamdani who, throughout his campaign, advocated for accessible […] Written by Guest August 20, 2025August 20, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked