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
Real Science, Right Now: How High School Students Are Researching Climate Solutions
Through Columbia Climate School programs, students conducted hands-on climate research to build scientific, analytical and communication skills.
Columbia Climate School Hosts City Leaders to Address Energy Affordability and Climate Action
Sustainability leaders from Ann Arbor, Atlanta and NYC shared the ways they are working at the local level to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs, while also reflecting on the challenges they face.
Empowering the Next Generation of Climate Leaders in the Green Mountains
Columbia Climate School in the Green Mountains is a two-week campus-based program in Vermont for high school students to mobilize action, drive impact and effect change in response to our warming planet. The summer 2026 program welcomed 58 students from the United States, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and the U.K.
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.
Science Fun and Discovery!
On Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 10am to 4pm, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House—our biggest, best science fun and discovery event of the year—will take place on our beautiful campus in Palisades, NY. Mark your calendar and join us for this free, family-friendly celebration of science! RSVP Today!
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.