Columbia Climate School

10/15/2026

From the impact of suspending US embassy reporting on air quality to why two extreme heatwaves had different impacts to how to make vulnerable populations in smaller cities more visible, it's our monthly research roundup from State of the Planet: https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2026/10/06/september-research-roundup-select-papers/

Additional highlights:
* How Earth-Observation Data Can Better Support Humanitarian Decisions
* How Scientists Can Make Better Use of the Unprecedented Volume of New Data Collected at Sea

📷 Dense smog blankets Metro Manila skyline. Credit: MDV Edwards

10/15/2026

🗓️ Oct 17 Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House (openhouse.ldeo.columbia.edu) = Hands-on science fun and discovery!
🌊 An "ultra strong" El Niño is set to break historical records.
🌡️ Dangerous heat days far are expanding beyond summer.
🔥 Cities could reduce methane emissions and save money lost to wasted natural gas.

➡️ Get the details: mailchi.mp/climate/oct8-51636?e=83aaf7147e
📩 Subscribe: climate.columbia.edu/join

✅ Stay connected:
🔹 Follow Columbia Climate School
🔹 Follow Dean Alexis Abramson on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/alexis-abramson-63843/)

10/15/2026

Plastics are supposed to be chemically inert. It’s the reason they’re used so frequently to package food, bottle water, and create children’s toys.

But something important happens when a large piece of plastic fragments into micro and nanoparticles: its surface area increases dramatically, exposing vastly more of the material to its surroundings.

A new study by researchers from Columbia University and the University of California, Berkeley found that this newly created surface is not necessarily safe and identified the chemical reasons why.

“This work has significant implications for environmental and human health. Microplastics and nanoplastics can form and enter aquatic environments through discharges from sources such as plastic manufacturers and laundromats,” says co-author Beizhan Yan, an environmental geochemist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

“Various uses and processes in our daily lives can also generate microplastics, including microwave heating, sunlight exposure of bottled water during storage, and IV injections in healthcare settings. This foundational work provides a potential pathway for understanding their health impacts,” adds Yan.

Learn more via State of the Planet:
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2026/10/14/microplastics-are-chemically-active-and-could-cause-biological-harm/

📷 mtreasure / iStock

10/14/2026

At a symposium hosted by the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy, leaders from government, industry, finance, and academia shared their insights into two of the United States’ most important industries: mining and energy.

Learn more via State of the Planet: https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2026/10/12/critical-minerals-new-energy-sources-and-the-race-for-resilience/

📷 Columbia Engineering vice dean of research George Deodatis and Greeshma Gadikota, director of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy. Credit: David Dini/Columbia Engineering

10/14/2026

As the world heads toward two critical climate conferences—COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, this November and COP32 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2027—a fundamental question looms: Can the international community finally move from making climate promises to implementing them?

During , the UNFCCC and Columbia Climate School convened a high-level discussion on how the world can turn Paris promises into action.

Moderated by Lisa Sachs, director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, the event brought together Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the UNFCCC; economist Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at the Climate School; and Climate School dean Alexis Abramson.

Learn more via State of the Planet: https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2026/10/09/how-do-we-make-cop32-deliver-on-climate-goals/

📷 Moderator Lisa Sachs with panelists Simon Stiell, Jeffrey Sachs, and Alexis Abramson at a Climate Week event: From Antalya to Addis Ababa: Making COP32 Deliver. Credit: Jill Baker

10/14/2026

At the Global Risk & Stabilization Summit in Reykjavík, which convened leaders working to address catastrophic climate risks, Dean Alexis Abramson caught up with Columbia Climate School alums Cynthia Thomson of Renaissance Philanthropy and Shuchi Talati and Whitney Peterson of The Alliance for Just Deliberation on Solar Geoengineering!

Learn more about the summit: globalstabilization.org

📷 (left to right) Cynthia Thomson, Shuchi Talati, Alexis Abramson, and Whitney Peterson

10/13/2026

🔥 New Online Professional Learning Course: Biodiversity & Sustainability

Led by Columbia Climate School lecturer Jenna M. Lawrence, a conservation biologist and biodiversity specialist, this course will help you understand biodiversity from both scientific and practical perspectives. You'll learn to assess biodiversity-related risks and opportunities and explore strategies for making more informed business and policy decisions.

What you'll learn:
• Biodiversity across genetic, species, and ecosystem levels
• The major drivers of biodiversity loss
• How ecosystem services and natural capital support economic activity
• How to assess biodiversity-related impacts, dependencies, risks, and opportunities
• The role of nature-positive and nature-based solutions in business and policy

Whether you work in sustainability, ESG, risk, strategy, finance, supply chains, policy, or want to better understand the role biodiversity plays in our lives, this course is for you. No prior scientific training is required.

➡️ Learn more and enroll today: https://plus.columbia.edu/content/biodiversity-sustainability

🌍 This course is the fifth in our new Climate Foundations for Executive Leadership series, on-demand professional learning courses in collaboration with Columbia Plus.

10/13/2026

"If solar is going to scale nationally at the pace our grid requires, the industry needs to make it easy to say yes with consistent messaging around savings, jobs, and grid reliability. Nevada didn’t adopt solar because of politics. It adopted solar because the economics were too good to ignore, and the state’s leadership responded," writes Columbia Climate School Dean and sustainable energy technology expert Alexis Abramson. Via The Wall Street Journal.

Nevada didn’t adopt solar because of politics.

10/12/2026

Algae are a natural and essential part of aquatic ecosystems, providing food and energy for other organisms. But nutrient pollution and climate change are creating conditions for algae to grow rapidly and form algal blooms that disrupt ecosystems.

On Oct 14 4-4:30pm ET, join this virtual Climate LIVE K12 session to meet a high school student investigating innovative ways to understand, prevent, and mitigate algal blooms. Follow the research journey exploring how scientists turn a real-world environmental problem into a research question, design experiments, navigate unexpected results, and work toward potential solutions.

RSVP today (FREE but registration required):
https://www.climate.columbia.edu/events/climate-live-k12-researching-solutions-harmful-algal-blooms

10/08/2026

🎓 Top Tips for Applying to Columbia Climate School!

Before you submit an application, hear what our students recommend to give you the best chances of success!

1️⃣ Find the program that best fits us you.
2️⃣ Tell us your individual climate story.
3️⃣ Choose recommenders who know you and what you'll bring.
4️⃣ Apply before the priority deadline!

➡️ Learn more about becoming a student:
https://www.climate.columbia.edu/admissions

📆 On Nov 6, join us for our On-Campus Climate and Sustainability Open House! RSVP:
https://apply.climate.columbia.edu/register/?id=b755b692-e333-4499-9ab3-8b62fa7b6cdf