Media Coverage
Media reports, documentaries, and journalism covering the climate crisis
'What can I do?' The answer is still anything.
Houses lie partially submerged in muddy water along a riverside after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026. Photo by Prabin RANABHAT / AFP...
In Africa, a Growing Underground Solar Boom
Households and businesses are driving a solar boom in Africa, where rooftop arrays and other small systems account for the bulk of new solar installations. But this rapid buildout, which...
August Research Roundup: Select Papers
This month, we covered a long-term analysis suggesting that landfill methane emissions may be far higher than estimated, as well as new research on unexpected trends in U.S. extreme rainfall....
A Hard-Won Rule to Cut Chemical Plant Pollution Is Being Unraveled
In 2024, the Biden administration enacted wide-ranging regulations to protect communities near petrochemical plants from air toxics. The Trump administration has since granted exemptions to scores of polluting facilities and...
Alex de Sherbinin Named Director of New Earth Institute Hub
The new initiative at Columbia’s Climate School is designed to strengthen university-wide collaboration on issues spanning climate, Earth, society and sustainability.
Access to Urban Woodlands Linked With Lower Use of Antidepressants
A study from Scotland found that living near an accessible urban woodland significantly lowered the likelihood of being prescribed antidepressants.Read more on E360
Bomb Fishing Is Wreaking Havoc on Indonesia's Coral Reefs
Fishers operating off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia, are detonating more than 8,000 underwater explosives each year, researchers estimate. The practice is turning picturesque coral reefs to ‘rubble.’Read more on...
Harlem Week Climate Change Conference Centers Community Voices
Panelists highlighted environmental justice, local partnerships, New York’s climate laws and the need for equitable solutions that protect public health, reduce emissions and build a more resilient city.
A Polar Climate Ambassador Visits an Arctic Museum in Maine
Josie Brooks reflects on an exhibit at Maine’s Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, which explores Inuit food traditions, hunting, art and community.
One of the World's 'Most Wanted' Lost Fish Is Rediscovered
On a vast network of rivers flowing through the jungles of Papua New Guinea, researchers have rediscovered the spinach pipefish, a relative of the seahorse, which had not been recorded...
Rising CO2 Speeds the Growth of Grasses on the African Savanna
On the arid African savanna, grasses are growing faster than they were a generation ago, boosted by rising levels of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels. That is...
The Changing Shape of Extreme Rain in the U.S.
A recent study led by researchers at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory asks how and why the spatial footprint of extreme rainfall in the U.S. has changed since 1980.
Filipino Cacao Growers Learn to Live With a Hotter Climate
In ‘Chocolates Melting Away’ — the First-Place Winner of the 2026 Yale Environment 360 Film Contest — Breech Asher Harani explores how cacao growers in the Philippines are developing new...
We need to press Big Tech on their AI partnerships with Big Oil
Microsoft, Amazon, and Google all have aggressive climate commitments—and AI partnerships with oil companies. Source: Getty ImagesLots of people—way more than usual!—are reading and sharing last week’s article about a...
A London Scheme to Cut Car Pollution Restored Lung Growth in Children
A scheme to slash car pollution in London was a boon to children, whose lungs grew faster after the program was launched, researchers found.Read more on E360
Collapse of Atlantic Currents Could Drive Surge in Warming
A vast system of Atlantic currents appears to be weakening, and scientists say its collapse could lead to dramatic cooling in northern Europe. A new study suggests an additional risk:...
Columbia Climate School Welcomes Inaugural Cohort of Climate, Earth and Society Distinguished Fellows
The new initiative is bringing five renowned experts and changemakers to campus this year. Their work spans climate science, public service, finance, entrepreneurship and the arts.
Climate School Students Analyze Extreme Heat Risk and Mitigation Efforts at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
A Columbia Climate School student team examined extreme heat, poor air quality and emergency management at MetLife Stadium during the FIFA World Cup in New York/New Jersey.
So Far This Year, China Has Wasted Enough Clean Energy to Power Mexico
China is leading the world on renewable energy, last year installing more wind and solar capacity than every other country put together. But its buildout has unfolded at such a...
You Asked: Is There a Community Prepared To Withstand a Wildfire?
A Palisades resident lost her home. Now she wants to know what model she and her neighbors should follow as they rebuild to be more climate resilient.
In Australia, a Home Battery Boom Has Helped Cut Wholesale Power Prices in Half
A little more than one year ago, Australia rolled out a program to heavily subsidize home batteries, part of a larger effort to make use of the huge volumes of...
Columbia Climate School Welcomes Environmental Social Scientist Garrett Albistegui Adler
Albistegui Adler is an interdisciplinary environmental social scientist whose research examines the political and social impacts of climate change and climate variability.
When Knowledge Travels: Translating Climate Awareness Into Action
A global partnership between the Columbia Climate School and UNICEF leaders is building climate knowledge and capacity to protect more than a billion children worldwide.
A Bicycle Journey Across Brazil to Find a Vanishing Savanna
In ‘Here There Was Cerrado’ — the Second-Place Winner of the 2026 Yale Environment 360 Film Contest — Natascha Otoya shows how industrial farms are plowing up the Brazilian savanna,...
How Ethiopia Can Make COP32 the Summit That Actually Delivers
Lisa Sachs believes Ethiopia and the African Union can make this year’s COP more effective by focusing on scalable plans for energy systems, finance reform, food security and nature restoration....
Amid Drought, Hundreds of French Rivers Are Drying Up
An ongoing drought in Europe has sapped French rivers. Officials say that 43 percent of small waterways in France have been partially or completely dried up.Read more on E360 ...
AI's climate problem is worse than we thought
The Big Spring Refinery is seen on October 04, 2023 in Big Spring, Texas. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images.Until this point, the public conversation about AI and climate change has...
Accounting for Compounding Climate Events in Emergency Management
Climate researchers Marco Tedesco and David Sathuluri reflect on how a single week of heat, smoke and flooding exposed the vulnerability of NYC.
As Deforestation Falls in Brazil, It Surges in Neighboring Bolivia
As Brazil cracks down on the illegal clearing of forests, farmers and ranchers are moving into Bolivia, helping to fuel a wave of deforestation in a country where land is...
Wiring the Spirit's House
Lamont scientists Terry Plank and Einat Lev worked with partners in Chile to install a new suite of sensors on the summit of Villarrica, bringing real-time monitoring to one of...
Last Month Was the Hottest July on Record for the World's Oceans
Oceans globally recorded their hottest July ever last month, according to a new analysis. The severe ocean heat was evident around Europe, which is coping with a scorching summer.Read more...
Climate Finance Student Guy Ningabo Believes Better Impact Finance Can Transform Renewable Energy in Africa
Born and raised in Burundi, East Africa, Ningabo is one of three recipients of the prestigious Stanley Park Climate Finance Scholarship for the M.S. in Climate Finance. He shares more...
Mountain Lions Are Keeping Deer Off the Road, Study Finds
Mountain lions in Washington state may be cutting down on traffic accidents by scaring deer away from roads, new research finds.Read more on E360
Yan Yao Joins Columbia Climate School and Columbia Engineering to Advance Next-Generation Energy Storage
Yao’s arrival advances the university’s shared mission to develop innovative solutions at the intersection of energy, sustainability and the environment.
For America's Rarest Wildlife, Survival May Hinge on a Single Word
For 50 years, the Endangered Species Act has defined ‘harm’ as not just injury to individuals but to the habitat on which they depend. By narrowing that definition, the Trump...
Long-Term Study Suggests Landfill Methane Emissions Are Far Higher Than Estimates
The study used continuous ground-based measurements to determine that landfill methane emissions are likely much higher than current assessments.
Who Gets to Decide the Fate of a Pristine Alaskan Rainforest?
In ‘Land Less’ — the Third-Place Winner of the 2026 Yale Environment 360 Film Contest — filmmaker Alexi Liotti follows the activists fighting a bill that would transfer thousands of...
July Research Roundup: Select Papers
This month, we covered the 2026 Environmental Performance Index; how gas bubbles shaped Kīlauea’s lava flow; and the Pacific’s contrasting effects on wildfires. Here are some additional studies worth noting....
The World Adds a Third Terawatt of Solar Power
In March, the world passed a major energy milestone, adding its third terawatt of solar power. Increasingly, poorer countries are leading the shift to solar, analysts say.Read more on E360...
Algal Blooms: A 'Dark' Threat to Greenland's Cooling Capabilities
Recent studies show that the deposition of nutrients on glaciers and ice sheets is causing rapid algal growth, reducing glacier albedo and warming the planet.
In an Already Broiling Summer, El Niño Is About to Turn Up the Heat
El Niño is expected to intensify in the weeks ahead, fueling more severe heat across the globe, according to the U.N. World Meteorological Organization. The forecast comes as blistering heat...