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
Two Lamont Scientists Celebrate Marie Tharp’s Hall of Fame Induction—and Carry Her Legacy Forward
Robin Bell and Vicki Ferrini reflect on Tharp’s induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and how her groundbreaking ocean-floor maps helped establish the theory of plate tectonics.
Highlights From the 2026 Open House at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
More than 2,500 visitors explored hands-on activities, lectures and installations at Lamont’s campus on Saturday, October 17.
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.
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.