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.

Climate Finance in the Multipolar Era May 12, 2026
Climate finance in the multipolar era will be driven less by collective targets and more by the need to manage geopolitical security risks in a less stable world.
Guest
A New Study Explains How Carbon Dioxide Cools the Upper Atmosphere—and Warms Earth Below May 12, 2026
Researchers have solved a long-standing atmospheric puzzle: how rising carbon dioxide cools the stratosphere even as it warms Earth’s surface and lower atmosphere.
Columbia Climate School
Why We’re All on the Same Team in the Fight Against Climate Change May 7, 2026
Campbell Award winner Marina Saguar Urquiola is helping to solve climate change through adaptation finance.
Olga Rukovets
“Near-miss” Tsunami in Alaskan Cruise Area Offers Lessons for Steep Landscapes Near Glaciers May 6, 2026
As glaciers retreat in warming regions, the risk of related hazards can increase, and improved monitoring may help reduce some of those dangers, according to a new study.
Columbia Climate School
You Asked: Lamont and Climate School Experts Tackle Reader Questions on Science and Sustainability May 6, 2026
We invite readers to share their most pressing questions about climate, science and sustainability.
Columbia Climate School

Urban Environment Lab

Today's Research on the Challenges of Sustainable Development

State of the Planet