How Can You

Learn More?

SCienCe and SolutionS For

Impacts Putting SCienCe into PraCtiCe

earth.columbia.edu/impact

earth inStitute ProjeCtS• Urban resilience: helping cities like New York plan for

climate change

• Designing green roofs in New York City

• Mapping sewage contamination in the Hudson River

• Teaching Gulf Coast teens to help their communities recover from disaster

• Millennium Villages: fighting poverty in sub-Saharan Africa

• SoilDoc: creating portable soil test kits for farmers

• One Million Community Health Workers: health care for rural Africa

• SharedSolar: bringing electricity to poor villages

• Fires in Amazonia: modeling roles of climatic, social, demographic and land use change

• Reducing exposure to arsenic in drinking water in South Asia

• Monitoring air pollution and health in Beijing

• Climate threats to Himalayan ice and rivers in Bhutan

• Designing sustainable irrigation in India

• Advising Sierra Leone’s government on sustainable resource development

• Assessing earthquake risks in the Pacific Northwest

• Forecasting climate for farmers and water use planners

• IcePod: building technology to track climate’s impact on the poles

• Testing new systems for carbon capture and storage

• Index insurance: helping farmers deal with climate risk

• Sustainable Development Solutions Network

Applying research knowledge to help communities achieve sustainable development is a significant part of the Earth Institute’s work. Through projects of the Earth Clinic and other initiatives, the Earth Institute is tackling the many dimensions of extreme poverty in Africa, assessing ways to reduce arsenic exposure in Bangladesh, and helping the residents of Harlem, New York, adapt to potential climate-change impacts such as extreme summer heat and increased precipitation.

Research the Foundation oF the earth inStitute

earth.columbia.edu/research

• Agriculture and Food Security Center

• Center for Climate Systems Research

• The Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability

• Center for Hazards and Risk Research

• Center for International Earth Science Information Network

• Center for National Health Development in Ethiopia

• Center for Rivers and Estuaries

• Center for Sustainable Urban Development

• Center for the Study of Science and Religion

• Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development, including projects from the former Center for Global Health and Economic Development

• Columbia Climate Center

• Columbia Water Center

• Earth Engineering Center

• International Research Institute for Climate and Society

• Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

• Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy

• National Center for Disaster Preparedness

ProgramS oF the earth inStitute• Cross-Cutting Initiative

• Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions

• Earth Clinic

• Millennium Cities Initiative

• Millennium Villages Project

• Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

• Program on Child Well-Being and Resilience

• Program on Science, Technology and Global Development

• Program on Sustainable Mobility

• Research Program on Sustainability Policy and Management

joint unitS oF the earth inStituteEstablished jointly by the Earth Institute and a second entity.

• Center for Research on Environmental Decisions

• Cooperative Institute for Climate Applications and Research

• Laboratory of Populations

• Urban Design Lab

• Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment

aFFiliateS and ConSortiumSThe Earth Institute is a member of or is closely affiliated with the following entities.

• Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict and Complexity

• Black Rock Forest Consortium

• Center for Climate Change Law

• Connect to Learn

• Global Association of Master’s in Development Practice Programs

• NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies

Innovative scientific research anchors all initiatives at the Earth Institute. From investigating the dynamics of Earth’s oceans to exploring ways to respond to climate change, research conducted in and across the many centers and programs at the Earth Institute and its affiliated academic departments facilitates the creation of solutions that can help achieve sustainability.

reSearCh unitS oF the earth inStitute

Education eduCating environmental World leaderS

The Earth Institute works with many schools, departments and programs at Columbia University to develop rigorous and innovative curricula across multiple disciplines. The more than two dozen academic programs currently affiliated with the Earth Institute engage undergraduates and graduate students in the classroom, in the lab and in the field. Students learn hard science, policy, and research and practical skills they can apply in the field, and in future employment.

undergraduate ProgramS• Earth and Environmental Engineering (B.S.)

• Earth and Environmental Sciences (B.A.)

• Environmental Biology, Columbia (B.A.)

• Concentration in Environmental Biology

• Environmental Biology, Barnard (B.A.)

• Environmental Policy, Barnard (B.A.)

• Environmental Science, Barnard (B.A.)

• Sustainable Development (B.A.)

• Special Concentration in Sustainable Development

PoStbaCCalaureate Program• Postbaccalaureate Certificate Program in

Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology

maSter’S ProgramS• M.A. in Climate and Society

• M.A. in Conservation Biology

• M.I.A./M.P.A. Energy and Environment Concentration

• M.P.A. in Development Practice

• M.P.A. in Environmental Science and Policy

• M.P.H. in Environmental Health Sciences

• M.S. in Earth Resources Engineering

• M.S. in Sustainability Management

• Executive M.P.A. Concentration in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management

doCtoral ProgramS• Doctoral Programs in Earth and

Environmental Engineering

• Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences

• Doctoral Programs in Environmental Health Sciences

• Dr.P.H. in Environmental Health Sciences

• Ph.D. in Sustainable Development

• Ph.D. Programs in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology

CertiFiCate ProgramS• Certificate in Sustainability Analytics

• Evening Certificate in Conservation and Environmental Sustainability

• Certificate in Sustainable Water Management

Summer ProgramS• Earth Institute Summer Ecosystem

Experiences for Undergraduates

FelloWShiPS and other graduate Credit-bearing ProgramS• The Marie Tharp Visiting Fellowship

• Professional Development Program in Environmental Sustainability

non-Credit training ProgramS• Sustainability Essentials Training

earth.columbia.edu/educationPhot

o Cr

edits

: And

rew

Che

n, F

ranc

esco

Fio

ndel

la, M

illen

nium

Pro

mis

e, A

lan

Orl

ing,

Dar

cy P

eter

ka, D

avid

Wen

twor

th

The Earth Institute mobilizes world-class scientific expertise and fosters interdisciplinary problem solving across nine cross-cutting themes: climate and society; energy; water; ecosystem health and monitoring; global health; poverty; urbanization; hazards and risk; and food, ecology and nutrition. Below are a few examples of the challenges and solutions we pursue.

Challenge: An estimated 1.4 billion people around the world live below the international poverty line, subsisting on less than $1.25 a day.

Solution: Starting at the village level, implement scientifically tested interventions in health, education, nutrition and agriculture to help communities lift themselves out of extreme poverty.

Challenge: More than half of the world’s population is living in urban areas, and the number will grow, increasing stress on communities with less resources to cope.

Solution: Propose and apply innovative practical strategies to promote healthy community living in the face of climate change, environmental degradation, population pressure and other challenges.

Challenge: Each year, billions of dollars in financial losses and humanitarian crises result from earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, floods, drought, cyclones and other natural hazards.

Solution: Study the nature of natural hazards and work with multilateral organizations, corporations and research institutes to create policies that promote resiliency before emergencies occur.

Challenge: About 220 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to sufficient food; approximately 70 percent of the population is dependent on agriculture as a livelihood.

Solution: Map the distribution of soil condition modifiers and soil types to help resource managers, scientists and policymakers better understand and manage soil resources.

Challenge: Human-induced climate change is resulting in higher temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns and rising sea levels.

Solution: Develop multidisciplinary strategies to adapt to climate change, mitigate its effects and communicate the science behind it.

Challenge: Greenhouse gases produced by human activity are altering Earth’s climate. Significant reductions in emissions are needed to prevent widespread and potentially devastating effects.

Solution: Devise cutting-edge technologies that can effectively capture carbon dioxide for either sequestration or use in fuel production.

Challenge: Climate extremes and increasing populations are pushing the limits of water and food supplies and impacting water quality in many places around the world.

Solution: Strategically analyze climate patterns and design mechanisms for improving water-use efficiency across multiple sectors, with an emphasis on agriculture.

Challenge: The growth of human societies, increasing consumption, and the expansion of industrial and agricultural activities have led to the disruption of ecosystems and biological processes.

Solution: Apply research to prevent and counteract ecosystem loss and train science-literate leaders who can help humanity be better stewards of the planet.

Challenge: Highly treatable neglected tropical diseases affect over 1.4 billion people worldwide, 90 percent of whom live in remote areas of Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Solution: Mobilize health research, interventions and policy to enable low-resource countries to scale up quality health systems.

Climate and SoCiety

urbanization

hazardS and riSk

Food, eCology and nutrition

energy

eCoSyStem health and monitoring

global health

Water

earth.columbia.edu/about

SolutionsChallenges and

Poverty

earth.columbia.eduearth.columbia.edu/about

How Can You

Learn More?

earth inStitute ProjeCtS and ProgramS oPerate around World

Visit earth.columbia.edu for the latest Earth Institute news, blogs, videos and more.

eventSEach year, the Earth Institute offers hundreds of events and lectures on a wide range of important issues. Visit our events calendar and sign up for our weekly events e-mail at: earth.columbia.edu/events

learningAre you interested in building a career in the environmental field or in sustainable development? Check out more than two dozen program options at: earth.columbia.edu/education

SuPPortGifts and grants from individuals, corporations, foundations and other organizations support the Earth Institute in its global effort to build a sustainable future. To learn how you can help, visit earth.columbia.edu/support

facebook.com/earthinstitute

twitter.com/earthinstitute