Guest's articles 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 […] Written by Guest July 8, 2025July 8, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked 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 […] Written by Guest July 5, 2025July 5, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Highlights From MR2025 – State of the Planet In mid-June, over 400 academics, policymakers and practitioners attended MR2025: Mobility, Adaptation, and Wellbeing in a Changing Climate, hosted by the Columbia Climate School in partnership with the Global Centre for Climate Mobility and the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change. Since its inception in 2019, the conference has convened every two years […] Written by Guest July 1, 2025July 1, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Columbia Climate School Students Take On Coastal Flooding at a U.N. Conference – State of the Planet Earlier this month, within a timeframe of less than 24 hours, a team of postgraduate and current students at the Columbia Climate School and the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) worked through the night to develop and submit their entry for an international competition known as the U.N. Foresight Sprint. Part of the Global […] Written by Guest June 27, 2025June 27, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science In Norway, Climate Goals Clash With Indigenous Herders’ Rights – State of the Planet A recent climate initiative by the Norwegian government is facing opposition from the Saami Indigenous people, whose territories are directly affected. The proposed 54-kilometer power line would be built by the state-owned energy company Equinor in the northernmost portion of the country, well above the Arctic Circle. The Saami believe their rights to cultural preservation […] Written by Guest June 24, 2025June 24, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Rethinking Energy Systems in the Age of AI – State of the Planet This story was originally published by the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, a joint center of Columbia Law School and Columbia Climate School. The world’s energy systems and digital infrastructure are undergoing rapid and interconnected transformations. The continued expansion of data centers—driven by growing demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning and next-generation digital […] Written by Guest June 17, 2025June 17, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Student Spotlight:For This MA Candidate, the Path to Climate Policy Is Personal – State of the Planet Saira Ramirez Mingueta Saira Ramirez Mingueta has vivid memories of visiting her grandparent’s home in Jalisco, Mexico, where she was born. “I was surrounded by plants, animals and chirping birds—it was magical. I felt at ease, loved and safe in nature.” Ramirez Mingueta, the second eldest of six children, was a baby when her family […] Written by Guest June 9, 2025June 9, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Advancing Equity Through Clean Energy Policy – State of the Planet Nicholas Britton’s passion for energy policy began at Dartmouth College, where he majored in environmental studies and helped support the campus’s energy transition. Through fieldwork and research, from New Hampshire to Southern Africa to Washington, D.C., Britton developed a focus on equitable energy access as a means to serve both environmental and social goals. Now […] Written by Guest June 6, 2025June 6, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Harnessing Lava To Build Sustainable Cities – State of the Planet When it comes to carbon emissions, there’s no bigger foe than the building and construction sectors, which contribute at least a third of global greenhouse gases. A new project suggests a novel solution, albeit one still quite theoretical: Lava. Over the past several months, the Volcanology Group at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, led by Lamont […] Written by Guest June 2, 2025June 2, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Gen Z Leads the Call for Conservation With TreeTalks – State of the Planet An old dense spruce forest in Holma, Sweden. Credit: W.carter, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Last month, Amanda Biscoe and Pamela Treviño hosted TreeTalks, a film screening and panel discussion focused on rainforest conservation and the role of young people in shaping its future. Through their work as co-directors of Gen Z for the Trees, a […] Written by Guest May 30, 2025May 30, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science What a Year of Climate Research Taught Me About Resilience – State of the Planet Courtesy of Michelle Rozenfeld When I started my internship with the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) back in September, I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I knew what I was hoping for. I wanted to learn how institutions respond to disasters—and where they fall short. I wanted to turn my passion for […] Written by Guest May 23, 2025May 23, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Environmental Science Women Scientists Explore Nepal’s Ponkar Glacier – State of the Planet One chilly morning this past December, nine women awoke to the sight of a glacier looming before them, glowing orange in the rising sun. These scientists had spent their lives studying the cryosphere—the frozen part of the Earth—but most had never encountered it in person. The members of this group were selected as the first […] Written by Guest May 12, 2025May 12, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Loading Load more
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 […] Written by Guest July 8, 2025July 8, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
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 […] Written by Guest July 5, 2025July 5, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Highlights From MR2025 – State of the Planet In mid-June, over 400 academics, policymakers and practitioners attended MR2025: Mobility, Adaptation, and Wellbeing in a Changing Climate, hosted by the Columbia Climate School in partnership with the Global Centre for Climate Mobility and the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change. Since its inception in 2019, the conference has convened every two years […] Written by Guest July 1, 2025July 1, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Columbia Climate School Students Take On Coastal Flooding at a U.N. Conference – State of the Planet Earlier this month, within a timeframe of less than 24 hours, a team of postgraduate and current students at the Columbia Climate School and the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) worked through the night to develop and submit their entry for an international competition known as the U.N. Foresight Sprint. Part of the Global […] Written by Guest June 27, 2025June 27, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science In Norway, Climate Goals Clash With Indigenous Herders’ Rights – State of the Planet A recent climate initiative by the Norwegian government is facing opposition from the Saami Indigenous people, whose territories are directly affected. The proposed 54-kilometer power line would be built by the state-owned energy company Equinor in the northernmost portion of the country, well above the Arctic Circle. The Saami believe their rights to cultural preservation […] Written by Guest June 24, 2025June 24, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Rethinking Energy Systems in the Age of AI – State of the Planet This story was originally published by the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, a joint center of Columbia Law School and Columbia Climate School. The world’s energy systems and digital infrastructure are undergoing rapid and interconnected transformations. The continued expansion of data centers—driven by growing demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning and next-generation digital […] Written by Guest June 17, 2025June 17, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Student Spotlight:For This MA Candidate, the Path to Climate Policy Is Personal – State of the Planet Saira Ramirez Mingueta Saira Ramirez Mingueta has vivid memories of visiting her grandparent’s home in Jalisco, Mexico, where she was born. “I was surrounded by plants, animals and chirping birds—it was magical. I felt at ease, loved and safe in nature.” Ramirez Mingueta, the second eldest of six children, was a baby when her family […] Written by Guest June 9, 2025June 9, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Advancing Equity Through Clean Energy Policy – State of the Planet Nicholas Britton’s passion for energy policy began at Dartmouth College, where he majored in environmental studies and helped support the campus’s energy transition. Through fieldwork and research, from New Hampshire to Southern Africa to Washington, D.C., Britton developed a focus on equitable energy access as a means to serve both environmental and social goals. Now […] Written by Guest June 6, 2025June 6, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Harnessing Lava To Build Sustainable Cities – State of the Planet When it comes to carbon emissions, there’s no bigger foe than the building and construction sectors, which contribute at least a third of global greenhouse gases. A new project suggests a novel solution, albeit one still quite theoretical: Lava. Over the past several months, the Volcanology Group at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, led by Lamont […] Written by Guest June 2, 2025June 2, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Gen Z Leads the Call for Conservation With TreeTalks – State of the Planet An old dense spruce forest in Holma, Sweden. Credit: W.carter, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Last month, Amanda Biscoe and Pamela Treviño hosted TreeTalks, a film screening and panel discussion focused on rainforest conservation and the role of young people in shaping its future. Through their work as co-directors of Gen Z for the Trees, a […] Written by Guest May 30, 2025May 30, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science What a Year of Climate Research Taught Me About Resilience – State of the Planet Courtesy of Michelle Rozenfeld When I started my internship with the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) back in September, I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I knew what I was hoping for. I wanted to learn how institutions respond to disasters—and where they fall short. I wanted to turn my passion for […] Written by Guest May 23, 2025May 23, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Environmental Science Women Scientists Explore Nepal’s Ponkar Glacier – State of the Planet One chilly morning this past December, nine women awoke to the sight of a glacier looming before them, glowing orange in the rising sun. These scientists had spent their lives studying the cryosphere—the frozen part of the Earth—but most had never encountered it in person. The members of this group were selected as the first […] Written by Guest May 12, 2025May 12, 2025 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked