State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Tag: global sustainability

  • Hindu Kush Himalaya Nations Vow to Protect Mountains in Recent Summit

    Hindu Kush Himalaya Nations Vow to Protect Mountains in Recent Summit

    Eight nations convened to promote sustainable actions in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, a powerful move amid political struggles.

  • Planet Earth May Have a Metabolism Problem

    Planet Earth May Have a Metabolism Problem

    In a recent talk, a visiting scholar argued that Earth’s energy balance is out of whack, and it’s up to humanity to fix it.

  • Student Spotlight: Understanding Science to Support Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation Policy

    Student Spotlight: Understanding Science to Support Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation Policy

    Elaine R. Angeles is pursuing an MPA in Environmental Science and Policy to bring science and policy-making together in developing countries.

  • Stranding Equitably in the Current Market and Geopolitical Context

    Stranding Equitably in the Current Market and Geopolitical Context

    The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment’s conference of early November will consider, notably, how world production of oil and gas could be significantly reduced in manners protecting the interests of lower-income producing countries, given that staying on carbon budget will require leaving two thirds of our fossil fuel reserves unburnt.

  • The False Trade-Off Between Economic Growth and Environmental Protection

    The investment in environmental clean-up often stimulates other upgrades that enable businesses to more effectively compete in a global economy. Moreover, a clean environment reduces illness and that reduces the need for expensive health care.

  • From Copenhagen to Paris: Moving From Talk to Action on Climate Change

    Globally, individual nations have volunteered greenhouse gas reduction targets in anticipation of the Paris meetings. Unlike Copenhagen, where calls for mandatory reductions and transfer payments to the developing world caused the collapse of any potential agreements, the world community seems more realistic as it approaches the Paris meetings.

  • Growing the Global Economy Without Destroying the Planet

    We need to focus our attention on the existing systems of management and influence now in place and attempt to turn them toward sustainability. This includes national, state and especially local governments, corporations and nonprofit organizations.

  • For Sustainability, Rethink Our Systems

    For Sustainability, Rethink Our Systems

    Increasingly, systems thinking is embraced as a critical framework for approaching sustainability and resilience. Such an approach helps us look beyond an analytical, cause-and-effect mode of doing business that often only yields short-term solutions and unintended consequences.

  • Sustainability Ethics and Metrics

    Sustainability Ethics and Metrics

    Today’s increasing emphasis on metrics in sustainability policy and management presents an interesting challenge for ethics. When ethics are discussed, probably one of the last things to come to mind is measuring them, particularly in numeric terms.

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.
  • Hindu Kush Himalaya Nations Vow to Protect Mountains in Recent Summit

    Hindu Kush Himalaya Nations Vow to Protect Mountains in Recent Summit

    Eight nations convened to promote sustainable actions in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, a powerful move amid political struggles.

  • Planet Earth May Have a Metabolism Problem

    Planet Earth May Have a Metabolism Problem

    In a recent talk, a visiting scholar argued that Earth’s energy balance is out of whack, and it’s up to humanity to fix it.

  • Student Spotlight: Understanding Science to Support Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation Policy

    Student Spotlight: Understanding Science to Support Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation Policy

    Elaine R. Angeles is pursuing an MPA in Environmental Science and Policy to bring science and policy-making together in developing countries.

  • Stranding Equitably in the Current Market and Geopolitical Context

    Stranding Equitably in the Current Market and Geopolitical Context

    The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment’s conference of early November will consider, notably, how world production of oil and gas could be significantly reduced in manners protecting the interests of lower-income producing countries, given that staying on carbon budget will require leaving two thirds of our fossil fuel reserves unburnt.

  • The False Trade-Off Between Economic Growth and Environmental Protection

    The investment in environmental clean-up often stimulates other upgrades that enable businesses to more effectively compete in a global economy. Moreover, a clean environment reduces illness and that reduces the need for expensive health care.

  • From Copenhagen to Paris: Moving From Talk to Action on Climate Change

    Globally, individual nations have volunteered greenhouse gas reduction targets in anticipation of the Paris meetings. Unlike Copenhagen, where calls for mandatory reductions and transfer payments to the developing world caused the collapse of any potential agreements, the world community seems more realistic as it approaches the Paris meetings.

  • Growing the Global Economy Without Destroying the Planet

    We need to focus our attention on the existing systems of management and influence now in place and attempt to turn them toward sustainability. This includes national, state and especially local governments, corporations and nonprofit organizations.

  • For Sustainability, Rethink Our Systems

    For Sustainability, Rethink Our Systems

    Increasingly, systems thinking is embraced as a critical framework for approaching sustainability and resilience. Such an approach helps us look beyond an analytical, cause-and-effect mode of doing business that often only yields short-term solutions and unintended consequences.

  • Sustainability Ethics and Metrics

    Sustainability Ethics and Metrics

    Today’s increasing emphasis on metrics in sustainability policy and management presents an interesting challenge for ethics. When ethics are discussed, probably one of the last things to come to mind is measuring them, particularly in numeric terms.