Two central ideas led to the creation of the Earth Institute in 1995. The first was to advance the basic understanding of earth science. The second was to apply that knowledge to decisions made by governments and businesses around the world. In the ensuing years, we have created a new kind of academic institution: a community of environmental and social scientists, lawyers, policy and management analysts, health experts and engineers who collaborate across schools and disciplines. Today, the Earth Institute has become a world leader in the basic and applied knowledge required to achieve sustainability.
The Earth Institute is made up of scholars spread out across dozens of research centers and programs at Columbia University. These researchers are refining our understanding of how the planet works and how humans are affecting natural systems. The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, which has been seeking fundamental knowledge about the natural world since 1949, is the scientific heart of the Earth Institute.