“The continuing increase in fire is an inevitability in the western United States. It is an inevitability that this trend is going to continue,” said Park Williams, a bioclimatologist at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

Chris Boyce, an assistant professor of chemical engineering, was named to this year's 30 Under 30 In Science list for his unconventional approaches—like using MRI to look at chemical reactors—that can be applied to mining, disaster preparedness, and more.

"There's about 10 times more forest burning this year than there was in a year in the 1970s and 1980s. And that increase has been driven by warming," said Park Williams, a bioclimatologist at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, about the California wildfires.

“In pretty much every single way, a perfect recipe for fire is just kind of written in California,” said Park Williams, a bioclimatologist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

While the strong winds known as Santa Ana contributed to the bigger fires, the link with climate change is inextricable, said Park Williams, a bioclimatologist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

Arthur Lerner-Lam, Deputy Director of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University, discusses the role of universities, innovation, and technology in the future of climate.

Astronomer Caleb Scharf, director of Columbia University's Astrobiology Center, explains everything you need to know about the celestial event that has been dazzling stargazers for centuries.