Colombia’s Earth Network offers opportunities for collaboration and innovation in the fight against climate change
What do plastic pollution, storytelling and mental health have in common?
These are Columbia University scholars and students from different professional fields, through Earth network program.
Climate change and related environmental challenges are a messy, ‘wicked’ issue that touches many aspects of how we live today: energy, consumption, biodiversity, water, inequality, technology, and more. These intersecting challenges require a diverse and multifaceted approach, with academics and practitioners from Columbia and external partners working together to address different pieces of the puzzle.
Earth Network members strengthen their teamwork skills at a “Radical Collaboration” workshop led by Kirya Traber and the Office of Interdisciplinary Engagement.
this climate schoolThe Earth Networks program helps to build such interdisciplinary partnerships by encouraging interdisciplinary teams to apply for three-year grants around a theme of their choice. The network promotes novel approaches to research, education, and impact in line with Climate Schools’ mission to “advance understanding and educate leaders to address a changing climate and other sustainable development challenges fairly and equitably.”
In the spring of 2023, the first Earth Networks complete their three-year program. These four networks cover topics as broad as the soil that grows food for distant planets, and launch a remarkable set of initiatives:
Spring 2023 also marks the launch of three new networks.
this Sustainability, Energy and Recreation Network 
(“See”) Network, led by MS Sustainable Development Management alum Sean Hoyt, to create a cross-entertainment industry alliance to facilitate knowledge sharing on best practices for reducing our environmental footprint. The network will initially focus on the sports industry and include members from Columbia Sports Management, Columbia Alumni Affairs and several outside groups.
this Climate education for a resilient future Network to explore climate education led by K-12 sector danny ding, Radhika Iyengarand Laurel Zaima-Sheeee.In the U.S., students spend an average of just two hours a year studying
On the climate crisis; network members estimate that the numbers for many other countries are not much better. Given the need for stronger climate education for young learners, the network aims to identify, map and build a database of ongoing and active programmes, collaborators and best practices, and develop products, resources and tools to support Climate learners and educators around the world.
The third new network, foundation of social atmosphere,
Aims to accelerate understanding of climate mental health as a community phenomenon, create greater social resilience in affected communities, and integrate mental health and social resilience into broader resilience planning.led by Gary Belkinthe network will work with billion minds project and UNFCCC strives for resiliencebringing Columbia University researchers and scholars in the fields of public health, psychology, risk management, and resilience to collaborate around mental health, social resilience, and climate change.
Each of these networks—whether established or brand new—have one thing in common. They unite diverse, interdisciplinary teams from across the Columbia community working together on a common theme. The Earth Networks project as a whole provides collaborators across the University with an entry point into the Climate School; each team is supported by the Climate School’s Office of Interdisciplinary Engagement, including tailored workshops to develop key skills and advance project.
For example, in 2023, the Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems Network participated in an Office of Interdisciplinary Engagement workshop series led by an expert coordinator Kyria Traber. The group identified their core values and goals. They spend time discussing power dynamics and identifying areas of action in their Justice-Centric workshops. They held several “radical collaboration” work sessions to advance their projects and honed their ability to share their work with non-expert audiences in “storytelling” workshops.
For more information visit the Earth Network page here. Networks are always actively recruiting and growing their contact lists!If you are interested, please contact the appropriate Network Director, or contact Earth Network@climate.columbia.edu
