Clay Layers and Distant Pumping Trigger Arsenic Contamination in Bangladesh Groundwater
Widely considered a screen against contamination, clay layers may actually enhance arsenic leakage into some aquifers, a new Columbia-led study finds.
Heating Buildings Leaves a Huge Carbon Footprint, But There’s a Fix For It
Vijay Modi, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University and an Earth Institute faculty member, and his research group are studying how to decarbonize heating.
CleanTech: Designing Batteries for a Sustainable Future
As director of Columbia’s newest research arm, the Columbia Electrochemical Energy Center, Alan West leads a team developing batteries that can store solar and wind-powered energy.
Rainforest-Friendly Livelihoods Can Be More Lucrative Than Gold Mining
A new study found that more sustainable activities—including Brazil nut harvesting and fish farming—can outpace the financial gains of gold mining and serve as a solution to long-term forest conservation in the Amazon.
Data-Intensive Study Finds Food Supply Can Grow to Meet Needs of Expanding World Population
A team of environmental scientists found that it is possible to sustainably increase irrigation systems globally so that crop production can feed an additional 2.8 billion people.