The Columbia Climate School’s mission is to further knowledge and educate leaders to achieve equitable and just solutions to the changing climate and related sustainability challenges.
News Highlights
Microplastics Are Chemically Active, and Could Cause Biological Harm
A new study found that when microplastics contact water, their surfaces can become chemically reactive. This could be how they get us sick.
How Do We Make COP32 Deliver on Climate Goals?
As COP31 and COP32 approach, a Climate Week panel brought together climate leaders to discuss how the world can turn Paris promises into action.
September Research Roundup: Select Papers
In this month’s edition of our research roundup, we look at the impact of suspending U.S. embassy reporting on air quality; why two extreme heatwaves had different impacts; and how to make vulnerable populations in smaller cities more visible.
Education
The Columbia Climate School educates future climate leaders to address the urgent challenges facing our planet with graduate degree programs and offers other powerful learning opportunities for students, educators, and professionals.
Columbia Giving Day!
October 28, 2026 is Columbia Giving Day! Your gift to Columbia Climate School helps advance interdisciplinary research, educate the next generation of leaders, and transform bold ideas into real-world solutions for climate, Earth, and society. Learn More
Research
The Columbia Climate School nurtures and supports innovative research in the science, consequences, and human dimensions of climate change, including the methods of achieving a more sustainable and just world.
The Columbia Climate School encompasses Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and more than 20 other centers and programs, supporting a continuum of research from basic discovery to societal solutions.
Our Office of Research nurtures our community of established and future environmental leaders through proposal development, programmatic engagement, and compliance support.
Impact
The Columbia Climate School turns bold ideas into real-world action, building partnerships to drive tangible change at scale.
In this Science for the Planet video, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson shares her research on making buildings more efficient through data analytics, machine learning, and smart design. By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, she has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings.