The Earth Institute

What The Earth Institute does

The Earth Institute at Columbia University is a non-profit academic research institute founded in 1995 that advances interdisciplinary earth science and applies that knowledge to decisions made by governments, businesses, and international organizations. It operates as an integral part of the Columbia Climate School (established 2021) and coordinates 16+ specialized research centers and programs spanning climate systems research (CCSR), paleoclimate and earth observation (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, CIESIN), sustainable development and investment (CSD, CCSI), disaster preparedness (NCDP), sustainable energy (Lenfest Center), climate-and-society applications (IRI), water systems (Columbia Water Center), urban sustainability, and electrochemical energy storage. Its core technology portfolio includes hybrid statistical-dynamical extreme weather and climate risk models, paleoclimate proxy analysis systems drawing on deep-sea cores, ice cores, tree rings, coral skeletal remains, and speleothems, climate-and-health integration frameworks, and combined theory-experiment-simulation pipelines for energy storage, electrolysis, electrodeposition, and critical materials processing. Research output spans all seven continents and major ocean basins including Bangladesh, Brazil, Belize, Borneo, Central Asia, China, New York, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Institute delivers educational products through eight graduate degree programs and an undergraduate concentration offered via the Columbia Climate School, including the M.A. in Climate and Society, M.S. in Climate, M.S. in Climate Finance, M.P.A. in Development Practice, M.P.A. in Environmental Science and Policy, Ph.D. in Sustainable Development, M.S. in Sustainability Management, and M.S. in Sustainability Science. It also runs a postdoctoral research program and capstone consulting projects that pair student teams with government and nonprofit clients. Public-facing channels include the EI LIVE virtual events platform, the Deep Convection and Sustain What? podcasts, research publications via Columbia Academic Commons, the Earth Institute newsletter, and annual Climate Week NYC programming.

The business model is non-commercial: the Institute does not sell products or services and does not disclose revenue. Funding flows from Columbia University budgets, federal and international research grants, private donations through the Climate School giving program, and project partnerships. It is governed within Columbia University under its provost and operates without external shareholders. Leadership includes Director Alex Halliday (also Founding Dean of the Columbia Climate School), Faculty Chair Jeffrey Shaman, Dean Alexis Abramson, Co-Founding Dean Jason Bordoff, Executive Director Alicia Roman, and senior faculty including Jeffrey D. Sachs, Michael Gerrard, and Steve Cohen.

Name

The Earth Institute

Legal name

The Earth Institute at Columbia University

Website

https://earth.columbia.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Earth Institute at Columbia University is a non-profit academic research institute founded in 1995 that coordinates 16+ interdisciplinary centers across climate science, sustainable development, disaster preparedness, and energy, serving governments, international organizations, students, and the public as part of the Columbia Climate School.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Climate and Sustainability Research

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Energy, Materials & Sustainability Focus (EDAHAEAL)

Keywords

• Climate science research
• Sustainability education
• Earth systems science
• Disaster preparedness research
• Sustainable development policy

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Earth Institute is an academic research institute at Columbia University that conducts interdisciplinary earth science research and delivers education programs. It produces climate science, sustainability, disaster preparedness, and sustainable development research through 16+ research centers, while offering graduate and undergraduate degree programs in climate, sustainability, and sustainable development through the Columbia Climate School. Its work is disseminated via publications, public events, policy engagement, and student capstone projects for government and nonprofit clients.

Product overview

The Earth Institute at Columbia University is an academic research institute focused on climate and sustainability science, not a commercial product company. Its offerings consist of research programs, educational degree programs, and public engagement through events and publications. The institute coordinates research across multiple centers including the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, National Center for Disaster Preparedness, and others, while also offering academic programs through the Columbia Climate School including degrees in Climate, Climate Finance, and Sustainable Development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• M.A. in Climate and Society Graduate degree program offered through Columbia Climate School providing interdisciplinary training in climate science for graduate students.
• M.S. in Climate Graduate degree program offered through Columbia Climate School covering climate science for graduate students.
• M.S. in Climate Finance Graduate degree program offered through Columbia Climate School covering climate finance for graduate students.
• M.P.A. in Development Practice Master of Public Administration in Development Practice degree program at the Earth Institute for graduate students.
• M.P.A. in Environmental Science and Policy Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy degree program for graduate students.
• Ph.D. in Sustainable Development Doctoral degree program in Sustainable Development for graduate researchers and academics.
• M.S. in Sustainability Management Master of Science in Sustainability Management degree program for graduate students.
• M.S. in Sustainability Science Master of Science in Sustainability Science degree program for graduate students.
• Undergraduate Concentration/Major in Sustainable Development Undergraduate concentration/major in Sustainable Development offered through Columbia University in conjunction with the Earth Institute.
• Earth Institute Postdoctoral Research Program Postdoctoral research program training professionals to address urgent global environmental and sustainability problems through research positions at the Earth Institute.
• Student Capstone Consulting Projects Capstone workshop courses in which student teams conduct environmental sustainability projects for real-world clients in government and nonprofit agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Established 1995, advancing understanding of Earth science and applying knowledge to decisions made by governments and businesses around the world
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Harvard University Center for the Environment: Interdisciplinary environmental research and education hub at a peer Ivy-plus institution, with comparable cross-school integration and climate/sustainability focus.
• NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS): NASA climate research lab based in New York and directed by Gavin Schmidt, who is affiliated with the Earth Institute; conducts climate modeling and earth systems research directly overlapping with Earth Institute priorities.
• National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR): Federally funded research center focused on atmospheric and climate science, providing modeling, observational data, and community tools directly comparable to IRI and CCSR within the Earth Institute.
• Yale School of the Environment: Professional school focused on environmental science, policy, and sustainable development with degree programs, research centers, and policy engagement closely analogous to the Earth Institute's academic structure.
• Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Climate and Energy Policy Program: Peer Ivy institution with strong climate and energy policy research program and partnerships with policy makers, comparable in mission to the Earth Institute's policy engagement work.
• MIT Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS): Interdisciplinary earth and climate science department at a peer institution, with comparable research, education, and policy engagement scope across climate and sustainability.
• Woodwell Climate Research Center: Independent climate research institute with strong emphasis on climate science, carbon cycle research, and policy translation — comparable mission and applied research orientation.
• Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK): Internationally leading climate impacts and earth systems modeling institute with comparable interdisciplinary research portfolio and global policy engagement, though operating in a different geography.
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego: Premier earth and ocean science research institution operating large-scale observational programs in atmospheric, oceanographic, and climate science — closely comparable to the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory component of the Earth Institute.
• Stanford Earth, Stanford University: Stanford's interdisciplinary earth science school with comparable scope across climate, energy, and sustainability research and education, housed within a peer Ivy-plus institution. Most structurally similar to the Earth Institute.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/columbiaclimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Earth Institute