Urban Environment Lab
Today's Research on the Challenges of Sustainable Development
The current social context surrounding climate change is ushering in a new era of land use, planning, and development, one that reconsiders the role of natural disasters, natural resources, and environmental impacts on the communities in which we live. The Urban Environment Lab engages students, policy-makers, and research partners in collaborative projects and discussions on the determinants of hazard vulnerability, community resilience, sustainable development, and infrastructure adaptation at the intersection of the natural, social, and built environments.
State of the Planet
- Women in Science: Climate Impact Researcher Sanketa Kadam February 11, 2026In honor of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we’re featuring Kadam, who researches compound extreme events in India and their impacts on crops and farmland.Olga Rukovets
- Celebrating the 2026 International Day of Women and Girls in Science February 11, 2026In honor of this year’s theme, “Synergizing AI, Social Science, STEM and Finance: Building Inclusive Futures for Women and Girls,” we're highlighting just some of the exceptional women researchers from the Columbia Climate School.Columbia Climate School
- How Can We Mend Our Living World? February 9, 2026An interdisciplinary panel discussed some of the complex issues facing our society as ecosystems collapse and relationships must be reevaluated.Olga Rukovets
- Can Carbon Markets Offset the Emissions We Can’t Eliminate? February 2, 2026A conversation about carbon markets with Shubham Deshmukh, a recent M.S. in Sustainability Management graduate.Guest
- Unexpected Climate Feedback Links Antarctic Ice Sheet With Reduced Carbon Uptake February 2, 2026New study reveals surprising link between West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) retreat and algae growth over the past 500,000 years.Columbia Climate School