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  1. 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 […]
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  1. 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 […]
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  1. 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 […]
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  1. Environmental Science

The Rising Threat to New York City’s Food System – State of the Planet

It was barely past dawn when Bruce Reingold pushed through industrial plastic flaps and slid open the insulated door that led into a massive refrigerated warehouse. Inside, people hustled in every direction, some on foot with clipboards in hand and some driving pallet jacks capable of carrying 2,000 pounds. Brown cartons, containing everything from short […]
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  1. Environmental Science

Alumni Spotlight: How Columbia Prepared Me for Work at the Nature Conservancy – State of the Planet

Alison Miller, who graduated from Columbia’s Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) in 2011, is now a senior leader at the Nature Conservancy, where she works at the intersection of science and implementation, helping turn environmental evidence into on-the-ground action. With a background spanning government, academia, nonprofits and corporate business development, […]
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  1. Environmental Science

Canada Pledges $15 Million for Climate Adaptation in Hindu Kush Himalayan Region – State of the Planet

Early this year, Canada pledged CA$15 million toward climate adaptation projects in Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. It has teamed up with the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a Nepal-based NGO. This contribution is a clear instance of climate adaptation finance—that is, funding toward projects that will help reduce vulnerability to climate change. The […]
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  1. Environmental Science

Leveraging Next-Generation Tsunami Early Warning Systems to Save Lives – State of the Planet

Damage from the March 2011 tsunami in downtown Ofunato, Japan. Photo: U.S. Navy When an enormous 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, the impact reached far beyond its epicenter. In the passing hours, tsunami alerts were issued by several nations with coastlines along the Pacific Ocean’s Ring of Fire, prompting evacuations and escalating […]
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  1. Environmental Science

Can Tariffs Lead to a More Circular Economy? – State of the Planet

As global trade tensions mount and countries recalibrate their economic priorities, tariffs may have the ability to play an unexpected role in the sustainability conversation. Tariffs on imports, while often viewed as controversial and protectionist weapons, could paradoxically drive the shift not only toward less production, but also toward more localized, circular and environmentally conscious […]
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  1. Environmental Science

Bridging Science, Policy and Strategy for Climate Action – State of the Planet

Tiffany Wu, a 2023 graduate of Columbia University’s MPA in Environmental Science and Policy program, is a senior program associate at Winrock International, which provides solutions to complex social and agricultural challenges worldwide. Wu works on climate and sustainability projects spanning carbon markets, corporate greenhouse gas accounting and clean energy. Courtesy of Tiffany Wu Drawing […]
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  1. Environmental Science

Burned Amazon Forests Stay Hot and Stressed for Decades, Finds New NASA-Supported Study – State of the Planet

Lead author Savannah Cooley standing in an intact forest patch before one of the largest measured trees in the southern Amazon—a magnificent Ceiba pentandra towering 61 meters tall. Photo: Vinicius Silguero, Instituto Centro de Vida Forests in the Brazilian Amazon damaged by fire remain about 2.6 °C (4.7 °F) hotter than neighboring intact or selectively logged stands, and […]
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  1. Environmental Science

Seeing Glacier Landscapes in a Different Light – State of the Planet

Co-curated by professors of art and science, “Flows of Reflectivity” brings together these distinct disciplines through recent and historic photographs and a time-lapse video of glaciers. The exhibit explores glacier change, with an emphasis on understanding reflectivity—the capacity of ice to send incoming light back into the atmosphere—through an exploration of both the artistic dimension […]
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  1. Environmental Science

Balancing Risk With Opportunity – State of the Planet

When we think of artificial intelligence (AI) and climate justice, we can imagine two stars in an orbital waltz; each with its own gravity, sometimes in harmony, while other times in tension. In moments of alignment, their fields reinforce each other, giving new vitality and perspective. Yet not all orbits are stable and the gravitational […]
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