In the Media

American Experts Provide Support for SL-EPA
thestandardtimespress.org, April 9

An article in an online Sierra Leonian newspaper reports on the visit by CIESIN associate director Mark Becker and program manager Alex Fischer to the Sierra Leone Environmental Protection Agency in Freetown. Becker and Fischer were there to conduct a needs assessment towards the goal of establishing a robust GIS system and spatial data infrastructure for the agency and government-wide.

At Data Symposium, Presentation Emphasized
Columbia Spectator, March 1

A Research Data Symposium was held February 27 at Columbia University, hosted by Columbia’s Center for Digital Research Scholarship and Columbia University Libraries. CIESIN Director Robert Chen was quoted in a panel discussion on how to make data more accessible:“I’m very supportive that open data is key to being more efficient, but it is still a means to an end,” Chen said. “We do have to keep the perspective that the goal of science is to benefit people, and to use this science in the best way possible is to make it most efficient.”

Migration: From Drought to Flooding
environmentalresearchweb, February 1

CIESIN senior research associate Alex de Sherbinin is quoted in an article reporting research on migration patterns involving movement from drylands and mountainous areas towards large coastal cities. “This is good news in the sense that people are leaving drought-prone areas that are likely to see increasing vulnerabilities owing to climate change and variability,” Alex de Sherbinin said in the article. "But on the flip side, people are moving towards coasts, which depending on the region, can put them at far greater risk of cyclones and floods.” For more information on the modeling methods used in the research, read the full report for the Foresight Project, and for a more detailed examination of migration in marginal and risk prone regions, read the article on Migration and Risk in Environmental Research Letters.

Sandy’s Wake
Columbia Magazine, Winter 2012–13

Klaus Jacob, Cynthia Rosenzweig, Robert Chen, and other scientists discuss climate change, adaptation, and environmental issues related to the Hurricane Sandy event that struck the East Coast of the U.S. on October 29. Discussing climate change adaptation, Chen, director of the Center for International Earth Science Information Network, says: “People are aware of the immediate event, but they may not be aware of longer-term issues of adaptation” [....]“Adaptation isn’t just engineering; it’s education, it’s adoption of new building standards that take climate change into account, it’s ecologically based policy, it’s environmental justice. And since climate change is not completely predictable, you need adaptive social learning so you’re not just proposing solutions good for the next fifty years, but ones that will allow continuous flexibility.”

An in-depth discussion of the Where the Rainfalls initiative, by Kevin Henry of CARE. The project explored the relationships among rainfall, food security and migration by undertaking field research at district level in Guatemala, Peru, Ghana, Tanzania, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Vietnam during 2011–2012. CIESIN developed original maps for each research site.

An article on the threat to lion habitats in Africa notes that human population density data developed by CIESIN contributed to an understanding of which areas were still favorable for lions.

Green, White, Greener: Nigeria and Its Environment at 52
The Huffington Post, October 3

A blog about environmental protection in Nigeria references the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), published every two years by CIESIN and the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy.

Initiative to Establish Research Data Alliance Moves Forward
Eos, vol. 93, no. 37, September 11

CIESIN director Robert Chen is quoted on the growing challenges to sharing data, including the importance of “building digital bridges” between institutional silos of information, in an article referring to a symposium on global scientific data infrastructures, sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences’ Board on Research Data and Information (BRDI) August 29, which addressed this issue while focusing on a new initiative to establish a Research Data Alliance (RDA).

CU-Haiti Relationship Remains Strong, Profs Say
Columbia Spectator, October 13

An article exploring Haiti President Michel Martelly’s absence from the recent World Leader’s Forum sponsored by Columbia University emphasizes the continuation of a strong relationship between the the Haiti Regeneration Initiative (HRI) project and the Haitian government. CIESIN staff and project leaders Marc Levy and Alex Fischer are interviewed.

UN Climate Change Chief Says World Needs Plan for Scarce Resources
The National, March 7

CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy comments on food scarcity issues, as a UN panel on sustainability prepares to meet in Helsinki in May to draft a plan to address the problems of global warming, poverty and water scarcity.

Return to Haiti
Eyewitness News-WABC-TV, January 16

In a status report on Haiti resoration efforts following the earthquake, program coordinator of the Haiti Regeneration Initiative, Alex Fischer, discusses project activities.

Climate-Security Linkages Lost in Translation
The New Security Beat, September 13

CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy shows how an interpretation of new study results refuting climate and security inkages jumps to an unsupported conclusion.

Climate Impact on Corn Farming Could Influence Border Crossing
ClimateWire, July 27

CIESIN senior research associate Alex de Sherbinin comments on a study of the relationship of climate change to corn farming in Mexico and possible implications for increased border crossings into U.S. He says the part of the study that focuses on historical data is most useful.

Library of Congress Takes Leadership
ArcNews Online, Summer 2010

An article about efforts on the part of the Library of Congress to preserve digital data via the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) features CIESIN’s role in helping to develop a Geospatial Data Preservation Web portal; CIESIN senior digital archivist Robert Downs comments.

Parks Not Burdening Poor Neighbors, Study Says
Science News, May 25

Although a “well-constructed” study, the data used are from just two countries, and relatively well-off ones at that, notes CIESIN senior research associate Alex de Sherbinin in this article about the effect of protected areas on people living in the park margins.

What Country is the Best at Protecting the Environment?
LiveScience.com, April 21

CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy discusses country ranking in the 2010 Environmental Performance Index (EPI).

A Future for Haiti: Science and Solutions for a Beleaguered Nation (video)
The Earth Institute, March 19

CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy and program coordinator Alex Fischer talk about the Haiti Regeneration Initiative, a collaborative project to restore Haiti’s degraded ecosystems.

The Climate Change Report under Scrutiny
Uptown Radio, March 12

Columbia University’s radio station interviews CIESIN director Robert Chen in a discussion of the independent body that will review UN work on climate change.

Disaster Awaits Cities in Earthquake Zones
The New York Times, February 24

Data and maps compiled by CIESIN and the Center for Hazards and Risk Research are featured in a front-page news article in the New York Times (print version February 25) assessing the vulnerability of buildings in earthquake zones. Where Shoddy Construction Could Mean Death shows a map (top) that depicts the predicted number of deaths in Instanbul from a magnitude 7.5 earthquake, depending on the type of construction of the building. The second map (bottom) ranks the vulnerability of other urban areas in earthquake zones with more than one million people.        

Earthquakes and Aftershocks
CNN, February 23

An interactive map shows impacts from the recent Haiti earthquake.

People Reported Missing via IReport
CNN, February 23

The population density of people missing as a result of the recent Haiti earthquake is shown on this interactive map.

Haiti’s Tomorrow May Be Rooted in Trees, Fertilizer
The Huffington Post, February 12

A discussion of the Haiti Regeneration Initiative and how its aims to restore Haiti’s ecology are fundamental to the nation’s progress.

Defining Environmental Migrants, Policy Innovations, February 11

The difficulties involved in distinguishing migrants forced to move by climate change from those who move for more traditional reasons is discussed by    .

From the Bottom Up
Science, February 2010

In an article on rebuilding Haiti following the earthquake, CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy talks about the shifting pattern of risk.

Iceland Leads Environmental Index as U.S. Falls
The New York Times, January 27

The 2010 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), which ranks 163 countries on environmental performance and has been produced every two years since 2006 by researchers at CIESIN and Yale University’s Center for Environmental Law and Policy, was released at the recent World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2010 in Davos, Switzerland.

A Próxima Tragédia do Haiti? (The Next Tragedy for Haiti?)
Epoca, January 27

Interview with CIESIN director Robert Chen, focused on natural disaster prevention and related issues in terms of the Haiti recent earthquake. In Portuguese.

Devastation in Haiti: The Looming Threat
Newsweek, January 25

CIESIN program coordinator Alexander Fischer and deputy director Marc Levy discuss the work that brought them to Haiti, the Haiti Restoration Initiative.

New City Man Recalls Desperation of Poor
The Rockland Journal News, January 22

Rockland County, New York, native and CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy was in Haiti for fieldwork on a major project aiming to regenerate the environmental degration there. This article describes his experience during the Haiti earthquake and offers some insights into the factors exacerbating the consequences of the earthquake.

Rebuilding Haiti from the Roots Up
Living on Earth/Public Radio International, January 22

CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy is interviewed about his ecological restoration work in Haiti and related issues in the context of the recent earthquake.

Experts: Aid Must Target Haiti’s Underlying Issues
All Things Considered/National Public Radio, January 22

The radio station’s flagship show features CIESIN program coordinator Alexander Fischer discussing his work in consideration of future concerns for restoring Haiti after the earthquake.

Earthquake in Haiti Shattered Efforts to Restore Resources, Boost Agriculture
The New York Times, January 18

The Haiti Regeneration Initiative, collaboration between CIESIN and other partners, is discussed by CIESIN program coordinator Alexander Fischer in the context of the Haiti earthquake.

Vt. Natives Remember Day Haiti Broke Apart
RutlandHerald.com, January 19

CIESIN program coordinator Alexander Fischer recounts his experiences in Haiti during the earthquake.

Caught in the Danger Zone
The Wall Street Journal, January 13

CIESIN supplied population density data for a map of the Haiti earthquake.

The (Welcome) End of Unanimity
State of the Planet, December 21

CIESIN deputy director, Marc Levy, blogs about why the failure to reach binding emission reduction targets at the Copenhagen talks is really a positive step.

Marc Levy comments on a new study of sea level rise that examines the most recent previous interglacial stage, when the climate was similar to that predicted for our future.

The Pitfalls of ‘Saving' the Rainforest’
State of the Planet, December 16

CIESIN senior research associate Alex de Sherbinin discusses a United National program for reducing deforestation emissions, known as REDD, whereby polluters in the North would pay rainforest countries to keep from cutting forests, in one of a series of blogs offering insights on the World Climate Summit.

Terra Viva! SEDAC Viewer: Map Tutorial
YouTube, December 15

A three-part video tutorial explaining how to use the map viewer, Terra Viva! SEDAC Viewer, has been made available through the YouTube Web site.

To the Lifeboats: What Happens When Your Country Drowns?
Mother Jones, November/December 2009

CIESIN senior research associate Alex de Sherbinin is interviewed on climate and migration issues.

Missives from Marrakech: Enter the Environment
The New Security Beat, October 2

CIESIN associate research scientist, Susana Adamo, talks about possible links between population and climate change in her plenary presentation at the most recent IUSSP conference, covered on this Wilson Center blog.

CIESIN Demographer Awarded Grant from Argentina
Environmental Expert.com, August 11

CIESIN associate research scientist, Susana Adamo, who received a research grant from the Argentine government to encourage collaborative connections with its researchers living abroad, is profiled.

A New (Under) Class of Travellers
The Economist, June 25

An article in the print edition of The Economist about issues raised by the new climate and migration report.

Earth Institute blog on climate-related issues features the new climate and migration report.

Packing Up, Due to Climate Change
Word of Mouth/New Hampshire Public Radio, June 16

New climate report co-author Alex de Sherbinin is interviewed.

Climate Change Will Force Millions to Move
Scientific American.com, June 10

Security implications of migration from climate change, based on the new climate and migration report.

Discussion of a new report, In Search of Shelter: Mapping the Effects of Climate Change on Human Migration and Displacement, co-authored by CIESIN with CARE and UN University.

Taliban Wages War on Police in Its New Front in Pakistan
The Wall Street Journal, May 28

Map of Pakistan, illustrating areas of escalating violence in the Punjab, the country’s most populous province.

CIESIN’s Marc Levy talks about the role of richer nations in dealing with carbon dioxide emissions.

Scorecard on the Environment
NASA DAAC Alliance Web Site

Sensing Our Planet: NASA Earth Science Research Features 2008 features an article on how SEDAC data used for the 2008 Environmental Performance Index and other environmental assessments; CIESIN’s Marc Levy is interviewed.

Environmental Researcher Issues Warning
Poughkeepsie Journal, December 11

The erratic nature of climate change makes it easy to disrupt the delicate balance for populations already living in vulnerable situations, and possibly give rise to conflict, says CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy in a public talk at SUNY-New Paltz.

Climate Change and National Security
PRI’s The World, December 4

CIESIN deputy director Marc Levy is interviewed (radio)

Climate Change May Challenge National Security
Princeton’s Environmental Sciences Information blog, July 8

Discusses National Intelligence Council Report on climate change and national security, to which CIESIN contributed data.

Green Countries
Newsweek, July 7

The 2008 Environmental Performance Index measures how well countries are maintaining the environment.

NASA Data Helps Pinpoint Impacted Populations in Disaster Aftermath
Space & Earth science/Earth Sciences, June 13

Study Shows Emerging Diseases on Rise
NPR Morning Edition, February 21

A new study appearing in the Feb. 21 issue of Nature presents the first scientific evidence that emerging diseases are on the rise and that zoonoses—diseases from wildlife—are the prime threat, due to encroachment of wild areas by human population growth and related impacts.