1995年地球研究所的成立源于两个核心思想。首先是提高对地球科学的基本认识；其次是将这些知识应用到世界各地政府和企业的决策中。地球研究所由分布在哥伦比亚大学数十个研究中心和项目的学者组成，是一个由环境和社会科学家、律师、政策和管理分析师、卫生专家和工程师组成的跨学校和学科合作的新型学术机构。现在，地球研究所已经成为实现可持续发展所需的基础和应用知识的世界领导者。

地球研究所由分布在哥伦比亚大学数十个研究中心和项目的学者组成。这些研究人员正在完善我们对地球如何运作以及人类如何影响自然系统的理解。拉蒙特-多尔蒂地球观测站自1949年以来一直在寻求有关自然界的基本知识，是地球研究所的科学中心。

地球研究所的研究范围从古气候学，以了解气候变化的悠久历史，到与地方政府的实践合作，帮助他们改善日常供水。我们开发地球系统模型和脆弱性评估，以帮助适应目前正在进行的气候变化，以及预测工具，帮助我们开发减少未来气候变化影响的方法。

我们使用大数据分析、社会影响评估、经济模型、法律评估和移动应用程序。我们测量北极冰盖，在热带雨林中进行实地考察，并在城市高中生的背包上绑上空气监测器。我们研究孟加拉国的地震灾害，南极半岛的融化生态系统，缅甸的保护，波多黎各的森林和哈德逊河的污水。

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.

The Earth Institute’s research ranges from paleoclimatology, in order to understand the long history of climate change, to hands-on work with local governments to help them improve their daily water supply. We develop earth system models and vulnerability assessments to help adapt to the climate change now underway, as well as forecasting tools that help us develop ways to reduce the effects of climate change in the future.

We use big data analytics, social impact assessments, economic models, legal evaluations and mobile applications. We measure arctic ice sheets, conduct fieldwork in rainforests, and strap air monitors on the backpacks of urban high school students. We study earthquake hazards in Bangladesh, melting ecosystems in the Antarctic Peninsula, conservation in Myanmar, forests in Puerto Rico and sewage in the Hudson River.