- News from the International Research Institute for Climate and Society

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Climate change threatens fragile páramo ecosystems in the Andes

The páramo is a high mountain ecosystem in South America's Andes rich with biodiversity and an important source of water for millions of people. It's at risk of becoming drier because of changing climate conditions. Our latest slideshow documents the efforts of IRI's Daniel Ruiz Carrascal and an international team of researchers who have been measuring how the environment of the páramo is changing over time.View the slideshow in English and en español.

2011 Summer Institute Ends

For the fourth year in a row, public-health professionals and climate scientists from around the world visited Columbia University's Lamont campus, where the IRI is based, to learn how to use climate information to make better decisions for health-care planning and disease prevention. The two-week course, called the Summer Institute on Climate Information for Public Health, is organized by the IRI, in partnership with the Center for International Earth Science Information Network and Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health. Click on the photo to see a gallery of images from this year’s event. You can also read more about the course in the latest Climate Information for Public Health Action newsletter.

‘Ten Years On’ Report
In facilitating the Climate and Health in Africa: ‘10 Years On’ Workshop, the IRI set out to build on significant lessons from past initiatives, bringing along its partners and bridging different interests to focus on climate informing public health development in Africa. The workshop has already been influential in galvanizing senior officials of the Africa Union and the Economic Commission of Africa to commit to achieving health gains through broader economic policies for agriculture/food security, water resources and energy development. Download the report for a summary of the presentations, discussions, recommendations and outcomes.

Bringing Remote Sensing Down to Earth
IRI’s Pietro Ceccato and Michael Bell, along with the Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning, have developed a website called IRIS to help students learn about the IRI Data Library and show them how the various datasets in the library can be applied to real-world cases, such as fire early-warning in Indonesia, and climate and malaria incidence. The training module is open to all.

Upcoming events and seminars
June 21st: Launch of latest Climate and Society publication, A better climate for disaster risk management, at American Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C. the latest Climate and Society view

June 23rd: IRI Seminar: Fertilization effects on the ecohydrology of a Southern California grassland. Speaker: Tony Parolari, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. view

IRI in the News
Tornadoes Explained, Storm Chaser Talks Science. (The Wall Street Journal). view

Finally something to blame for the April 27 storms (Anniston Star). view

Informing Farmers and Combating Drought in Mali (State of the Planet Blog). view

How Climate Change May Make Killer Diseases Worse (ABC News). view

Current seasonal rainfall forecast

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The International Research Institute for Climate and Society was established as a cooperative agreement between
the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Program Office and Columbia University.
It is part of The Earth Institute at Columbia University.