Media Coverage
Media reports, documentaries, and journalism covering the climate crisis
Europe Faces Record Heat for Second Month in a Row
Europe is sweltering through an intense heat wave that is setting temperature records in the U.K. and France. It comes on the heels of a record heat wave in May.Read...
June Research Roundup: Select Papers
In this month’s edition of our research roundup, we highlight a new study on African air pollution; deep Earth carbon recycling; and a Pacific cooling mystery.
Amid Iran War, Africa Sees Growing Demand for Electric Motorbikes
As the Iran War has driven up fuel costs in Africa, demand for electric motorbikes has grown.Read more on E360 →
Wildfire season doesn't have to be like this
People say all the time, metaphorically, that the country is on fire. Right now, the country is also actually, literally on fire.There are currently 27 uncontained large wildfires currently burning...
Carbon Dioxide and Water Played Key Roles in Historic Mount Etna Eruptions
Understanding these dynamics can help geologists assess the risk of future eruptions.
West African nations target Eastern Atlantic for early high seas protection
Six months after a landmark treaty to protect the high seas entered into force in January, a group of West African nations is calling for the Eastern Atlantic to be...
AI's Promise Requires Innovation in Governance, Not Technology Alone
New research highlights that without a coordinated global agreement, AI risks accelerating the very crises it could help solve.
A Missing Piece in Climate Models: Nature's Own Emissions
More intense heat is set to drive up emissions from wildfires, fermenting wetlands, and melting permafrost, but these ‘feedback loops’ are poorly captured in climate models. Scientists are racing to...
An EPA Researcher Details the Agency's Assault on Science
In January 2025, the Trump administration began shutting down projects within the EPA’s independent science division that touched on climate change and environmental justice. Air quality researcher Thomas Luben, who...
The AI Revolution Mirrors the Green Transition
The AI buildout and the green transition each present significant and similar opportunities and challenges.
Digital Tools Are Transforming Efforts to Save Plants from Extinction
Researchers are increasingly digitizing plant and fungi specimens and using A.I. to analyze them, work that is transforming conservation science, according to a new report.Read more on E360 →
Albanians Mobilize Against Jared Kushner Plan for Resort on Pristine River Delta
In Albania, a mass protest movement has emerged to challenge a plan, spearheaded by Jared Kushner, to build a sprawling resort along the delta of the last wild river in...
3 facts to ruin your World Cup watch party
Source: MetLife Stadium via Marc Atkins/Getty Images, Debbie Downer via Wikimedia CommonsThis year’s World Cup has something no other World Cup has had before: commercial breaks. This means that each...
New Research Indicates That in the Future, Trees May Store Less Carbon Than Expected
Even as trees photosynthesize late into the year, their growth stops by mid-summer, which impacts their carbon uptake.
Dead Organisms Shape the Living World Long After They Perish, Research Shows
A new paper details how the remnants of dead organisms strongly influence the fate of survivors.Read more on E360 →
What I've Learned From 'The End of Poverty,' 20 Years Later
The author reflects on Jeffrey Sachs, the U.N., and the need to redesign global institutions for a world shaped by climate change, poverty and geopolitical strain.
How Do Glacial Ecosystems Respond to Climate Change?
Microbiologist Arwyn Edwards discusses the complex role of microbial life in glacial ecosystems and the impact of climate change on his field.
Efforts to Save Kelp Forests from Ocean Warming Are Ramping Up
At one time, kelp forests — which shelter fish, slow erosion, and sequester carbon — grew along a third of the world’s coastlines. Now, scientists are working to bolster heat-stressed...
In a U.S. First, Solar Supplied More Power Than Coal Last Month
Last month, for the first time in the U.S., solar generated more electricity than coal, a reflection of both the rapid adoption of renewable power and the declining fortunes of...
Brazil jostles for rare earths share as US-China rivalry heats up
Brazil is rushing to regulate its critical minerals industry and unlock its vast untapped reserves of rare earths, aiming to position itself as a strategic producer with Chinese and US...
COP31 leaders unveil global targets, with spotlight on electrification
The two countries set to lead this year’s COP31 have unveiled three headline goals for November’s UN climate summit – on electrification, waste and buildings – following six months of...
You Asked: What Exactly Is a 'Super' El Niño?
Columbia Climate School experts explain what a strong El Niño could mean for the planet this year.
Geologist Folarin Kolawole Receives 2026 National Geographic Wayfinder Award
Folarin Kolawole is one of 15 recipients of this year’s National Geographic Society’s Wayfinder Award, which recognizes people whose work is expanding our understanding of the planet and helping to...
Long Lost African Bird Captured in Striking Photos
Lost to science for more than 70 years, the black-lored waxbill was only recently rediscovered in a marshy region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Now, researchers have published...
How 'Undone Science' Shaped Chile's Glacier Protection Battle
A new study examines how ‘undone science’ has shaped the conflict between mining and glacier conservation in Chile over the past two decades.
U.S. Cities See Public Transit Use Grow as Fuel Prices Remain High
In U.S. cities, ridership on public transit is growing as the Iran War keeps gasoline prices high.Read more on E360 →
World Oceans Day Reimagines Our Relationship With the Water Around Us
In honor of this annual U.N. event, we are highlighting our coverage of ocean research and education initiatives at the Columbia Climate School and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
Bonn Bulletin: Tackling climate crisis is 'hardest' challenge ever, Stiell says
Kicking off proceedings at the mid-year climate talks in Bonn amid fraught global geopolitics, UN climate chief Simon Stiell told delegates that tackling the global climate crisis is ‘the hardest,...
Planned offshore oil and gas expansion threatens key marine ecosystems, report
Ocean and coastal creatures are being put at risk by the spills, noise, dredging and shipping associated with new offshore oil and gas infrastructure, says a new report by a...
Former Crew Members Detail Harm Inflicted by Unregulated Squid Fishing
Former crew members on squid fishing expeditions report environmental destruction and labor abuses, due to a regulatory vacuum.Read more on E360 →
Raising AI for a Just Climate Future
Raising a responsible child and building responsible AI both require a deep awareness of what we are training them to notice and value.
Why Sheldon Whitehouse keeps calling out Big Oil
On May 20, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) strolled to the Senate floor with a resolution asking his colleagues to agree on a ‘simple truth:’ that climate change is real.It wasn’t...
Climate Finance Students Win Private Equity Case Competition
For the first time, a team from the inaugural M.S. in Climate Finance program participated in the prestigious Columbia Business School and KKR Private Equity Case Competition.
Humans Are Changing How Nature Smells, With Risks for Wildlife
A growing body of research shows how air pollution, fertilizers, and fungicides are altering the chemical signals that plants and animals use to communicate. Scientists warn that insect reproduction, foraging,...
What to expect from the Bonn climate talks
The annual June climate talks in Bonn are taking place this year against the backdrop of an oil and gas supply crisis tied to the Iran war and deadly heatwaves...
China's carbon emissions rise again as more clean power is wasted
China’s carbon emissions bounced back up in early 2026 as ‘inflexible’ grid management caused the country to waste vast quantities of clean power and burn more fossil fuels instead, new...
Investor climate group closes down, blaming 'limits' of shareholder activism
In 2021, amidst a wave of corporate net-zero targets, a campaign group called Investors for Paris Compliance was set up in British Columbia, aiming to use investor pressure to hold...
U.S. to Dismantle System Tracking Atlantic Currents That Are at Risk of Collapse
The Trump administration is moving to dismantle an ocean observation system consisting of more than 900 instruments in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Data supplied by the system has been...
Indonesia's failing Just Energy Transition Partnership is a cautionary tale
Freddie Daley is a research associate with the Centre for Global Political Economy at the University of Sussex. Charlie Lawrie is a postdoctoral associate at the University of Sussex. In...
Regenerative Travel: Students Field Test What's Next in Climate-Conscious Tourism
The Wild Tomorrow capstone workshop and Cuttyhunk Practicum are two examples of Climate School initiatives that focus on climate-conscious travel.
Can Patagonia™ own Patagonia?
Source: Getty ImagesHow can Patagonia, the brand, own the name of a geographical region? That’s the most common question I keep seeing asked about Patagonia™’s controversial lawsuit against Pattie Gonia,...
Young South Africans take up sustainable agriculture for food security
In a school in South Africa, a group of students stare at a row of small plants growing in a greenhouse. Each one is involved in the lesson, caring for...
Tire Pollution May Threaten Human Health, Study Finds
Tiny particles of rubber cast off by car tires, which have long been known to harm wildlife, may also pose a risk to humans, according to a new study.Read more...
Agricultural subsidies can be repurposed for a just and sustainable rural transition
Orhan Solak is deputy director of Türkiye’s Directorate of Climate Change. In today’s fraught economic context, everyone is looking to do more with less, and financing climate action is no...
The Pilgrimage to Mecca Is Becoming More Dangerous as Mideast Warms
Global heating has ‘fundamentally altered’ the climate of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is exposing millions of hajj pilgrims to extreme and dangerous heat even in months outside summer, a new...
Africa Is Embracing Renewable Energy
African countries are increasingly looking to renewable energy to meet growing power demand.Read more on E360 →
Q&A: How can African electricity access power jobs not just lightbulbs?
At the African Development Bank (AfDB) annual meetings this week, several African leaders called for investments in electricity infrastructure which go beyond lighting homes to powering economies. Applauding the AfDB...
COP31 must persuade countries to make fossil fuel transition plans
Andreas Sieber is head of political strategy at 350.org. Shady Khalil is a senior global policy strategist at Oil Change International. COP31 will take place in the context of what...