More than half the world’s 7 billion people live in cities. By 2050, population is expected to grow to 9 billion and 70 percent of humanity will live in cities. Yet even in an urbanizing world, the fate of rural areas is vitally important. More people living in cities mean more mouths to feed but less people living in rural areas to grow the food needed. Climate change is an overarching issue that everyone in the world will have to deal with no matter where they live.
In the last few years, you’ve probably come across some dire warnings about the future climate of your hometown. Maybe it was that downtown would be submerged by 2050, or that extended droughts would become the norm. Where do these projections come from?
The M.A. Program in Climate and Society will be traveling to Idealist Grad Fairs across the U.S. this fall. Come visit us in the following cities, you’ll find us listed under The Earth Institute, Columbia University – Education Programs.
China is currently the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter. In 2009, the Chinese government made a commitment at international climate talks to reduce its carbon emissions by 40-45 percent below 2005 level by 2020. Inevitably, it will have to make these, and possibly deeper cuts, as part of a global effort to address climate change, which means carbon markets could be a big part of China’s future.
While in Togo, I was an intern for the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre, consulting with both the German and Togolese Red Cross. In Togo, they are hoping to pilot a program to establish an early warning system for natural disasters like flooding using available forecasts. The idea is that with adequate forecasting, both short and longer term, certain ‘no regrets’ actions can be taken in advance to reduce or eliminate disaster risk and humanitarian crises.
Climate models and analyses of the available data allow us to have a more comprehensive understanding of water and the Earth system. The better we understand this delicate relationship, the better we can make decisions and policies that protect both.
This week we welcomed the 11th Climate and Society class to Columbia University and New York City. There are 38 students from eight different countries and a variety of different backgrounds, from business to anthropology to environmental sciences.
In the vast discipline of climate change there is a valiant group of climate change communicators; a cross-disciplinary group of people who discard the acclaim of research, compassion of advocacy, or practicality of policy and instead tire over how to disseminate one of the world’s most complex (and pressing) topics. This summer I have joined their ranks, even if just for a moment.
As the world leaders, scientists and businesses around the globe are working towards finding radical solutions to the climate change problem, the phrase ‘putting a price of carbon’ is becoming increasingly crucial. But why is it so popular?
“What is green parking?”
This question came up when I first heard of the Green Parking Council, the organization where I’m interning this summer. Just a few months prior, I was anxious and uncertain about what my summer internship should be. But now, I am extremely excited about being involved in the Green Garage Certification Program (GPC).
