Columbia Climate School

06/03/2026

Travelers concerned about their impact on the environment can take part in regenerative tourism, a practice that seeks to leave destinations in a better state than they were found.

Columbia Climate School offers several opportunities for students to engage in regenerative travel, including the recent Wild Tomorrow Reserve Capstone in South Africa and Cuttyhunk Practicum in Massachusetts.

Jenna Lawrence, a behavioral ecologist, conservation biologist, and lecturer at the Climate School, explains the significance of these programs in the context of giving more than you take when traveling.

Learn more via State of the Planet:
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2026/06/02/regenerative-travel-students-field-test-whats-next-in-climate-conscious-tourism/

📷 Sustainable development students and Wild Tomorrow staff on the last day of the capstone workshop in South Africa. Credit: Lylia Saurel

06/02/2026

On Jun 17 4-4:30pm ET, join us for the National Wildlife Federation's Youth-focused Climate Solutions in Action with Abby Jordan, NWF climate education program manager and Columbia | SIPA MPA in Environmental Science and Policy alum. Learn about NWF's climate education programs based in New York to engage young people in climate solutions.

RSVP today for this virtual Climate LIVE K12 session (FREE but registration required): https://www.climate.columbia.edu/events/climate-live-k12-youth-focused-climate-solutions

Programs:
The Resilient Schools and Communities program engages NYC middle and high school students in building nature-based solutions to shore up coastal resilience in Coney Island, Brooklyn.

The Climate Resilience Education Task Force Youth Steering Committee empowers New York State high school students through a year-long climate education and civic engagement program where students advocate at the state and local level for policy improvements.

📷 Volunteers taking part in National Wildlife Federation's dune restoration project at Coney Island Creek Park. Credit: Leah Cantor

05/30/2026

The student-led Youth Climate Action Alliance (YCAA), recognized by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani for commitment to sustainability and youth advocacy across NYC and beyond, brought together high school students from across the boroughs to learn about and collaborate on climate action initiatives.

Established by Sahara Maazel and Suman Shah, YCAA began as Maazel's climate action project at Columbia Climate School in the Green Mountains during the summer of 2025, and has evolved into a growing, inter-school network of like-minded peers driving real change in their own communities. The success of the inaugural YCAA Interscholastic Conference is a real testament to the power of youth collective action!

Among the workshops was a session led by Columbia Climate School's Laurel Zaima-Sheehy, Emma Kyzivat, and Aynsley Kretschmar in which students identified climate solutions across policy, energy, education, transportation, infrastructure, and environmental restoration that align with their specific community vulnerabilities as defined by the U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index.

Learn more via State of the Planet:
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2026/05/28/translating-climate-awareness-into-action-at-new-york-high-schools/

05/29/2026

☀️ In week 2 of The Evolving Climate and Energy Landscape in Greece summer program, our MS in Climate and University of Western Macedonia students participated in an international conference where they presented their research and field reflections in conversation with leading voices on climate and energy.

Moderated by program co-leaders Columbia Climate School/Columbia Engineering professor Greeshma Gadikota and University of Western Macedonia professor Lefteris Topaloglou, students as early-career scholars examined climate and energy challenges, highlighting fresh perspectives, interdisciplinary approaches, and policy-relevant insights.

Among the leaders and experts was Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson who shared opening and closing remarks, and moderated a panel on how global climate and sustainability agendas translate into concrete transformations of energy systems at national and regional levels with:
* Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou, Greek Prime Minister’s Envoy for the Ocean, Member of the Hellenic Parliament, Chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection
* Phoebe Koundouri, Founder, AE4RIA - Alliance of Excellence for Research and Innovation on Aeiphoria
* Alexandra Mavrogonatou, Just Transition Development Special Authority, Head of Directorate of Strategic Planning & Coordination of Funds

➡️ Learn more: https://globalcenters.columbia.edu/events/evolving-climate-and-energy-landscape-greece

The Evolving Climate and Energy Landscape in Greece summer program is a collaboration of the University of Western Macedonia and Columbia Climate School with Columbia Global Center Athens, and the Energy Transition & Development Transformation Laboratory - ENTRA Lab, connecting students, researchers, policymakers, industry leaders, and institutions from Greece and the United States around the critical issues of energy, climate, and just transition.

📷 Courtesy of Columbia Global Center Athens

05/28/2026

On Friday May 29, just before sunset, crowds will gather in Midtown Manhattan to watch the sun slip between buildings for a biannual phenomenon known as Manhattanhenge.

In a city where most people only notice the sky in relation to buildings, astronomical events can “spark curiosity, and a sense of shared wonder,” says Marcel Agüeros, an astronomer and astrophysicist who teaches at Columbia University. This attention, while fleeting, is essential. It’s a reminder that we live on a tilted, rotating planet orbiting something much larger—a perspective scientists increasingly see as essential to spatial memory and pro-environmental behavior, writes journalist, photographer, and MPA in Environmental Science & Policy alum Cate Twining-Ward.

Learn more about the role of nature in timekeeping, navigation, and “the cosmic perspective” via State of the Planet:
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2026/05/27/why-manhattanhenge-matters-beyond-the-sunset/

📷 Max Twining-Ward

05/27/2026

On June 10 and 11, join the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law and Columbia Climate School in-person at the Columbia University Forum or online for the second Attribution Science and Climate Law Conference.

This interdisciplinary conference will bring together researchers, scholars, and practitioners to examine the evolving field of climate change attribution science and its implications for law, litigation, governance, and policy. Participants will include physical scientists, public health researchers, economists, social scientists, legal scholars, legal practitioners, and more.

➡️ Learn more/register: https://climate.law.columbia.edu/content/second-conference-attribution-science-and-climate-law

05/27/2026

The Coney Island Creek dune planting project started in 2021 by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) with the goal of increasing coastal resilience and giving community members hands-on experience protecting their environment.

Abby Jordan, NWF climate education program manager and Columbia MPA in Environmental Science & Policy alum, is on a mission to help her neighbors understand that the benefits of sand dunes outweigh the costs. Her passion for this work is fueled by her own experience living through Hurricane Sandy when she was 18.

“The next Sandy is going to happen. It might not happen this year or next year, but it is inevitable. We need to be proactive, not reactive, and we have young people who want to do this work and want to be part of the solution,” says Jordan.

Learn more from Columbia University M.S. in Sustainability Management Program '26 grad Leah Cantor via State of the Planet:
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2026/05/21/can-coney-islands-dunes-protect-against-another-sandy/

📷 Brooklyn high school student Lottie Arnold (left) and Khadesha Stephenson (right) plant beach grass at Coney Island Creek Park. Credit: Leah Cantor

05/26/2026

👏 Congratulations to Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson, named one of City and State NY's 2026 Trailblazers in Higher Education, recognizing leaders who are adapting curricula to new realities, rebuilding and reshaping campuses, and tackling the toughest issues of the day. ✨ Learn more: https://www.cityandstateny.com/power-lists/2026/05/2026-trailblazers-higher-education/413633/

05/26/2026

How do we power the AI boom without blowing past climate goals and breaking the grid? Which approach is the market rewarding? Such questions were central to the 2026 Climate Business & Investment Conference: Energy Tech, a joint effort by Columbia Climate School and Columbia Business School's Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change.

Climate and business are no longer siloed topics, and the stakes feel especially high when AI is driving a dramatic surge in power demand, said Bruce Usher, co-director of the Tamer Institute and professor at Columbia Business School and Columbia Climate School. “The challenge [of meeting demand] is not only an environmental one, but also an economic one and strategic one. The race to power the next generation of growth will help shape industries, capital flows, competitiveness, and long-term resilience across the global economy,” said Usher.

Learn more via State of the Planet:
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2026/05/20/columbias-energy-tech-conference-spotlights-the-race-for-ais-clean-power-future/

📷 Bjarnarflag Geothermal Power Station and the acidic Blue Lake, Iceland. Credit: Jakub Hałun via Wikimedia Commons

05/25/2026

As El Niño forecasts have grown more accurate over time, humanitarian groups, governments, companies, and farmers have become more adept at preparing for its effects, though the most vulnerable and underserved communities may not have access to all of the information they need, says climate scientist Andrew Kruczkiewicz of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia University and Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre who works to get actionable intelligence on El Niño into the hands of people who can benefit most. Via CNN.

The coming “Super” El Niño is poised to affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide as it strengthens into winter.