The Earth Institute was established at Columbia University in 1995. The research institute's stated mission is to address complex issues facing the planet and its inhabitants, with particular focus on sustainable development and the needs of the world's poor. The Earth Institute's activities are guided by the idea that science and technological tools that already exist could be applied to greatly improve conditions for the world's poor, while preserving the natural systems that support life on Earth. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Columbia University is a private research university in the United States. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sustainable development is a collection of methods to create and sustain development which seeks to relieve poverty, create equitable standards of living, satisfy the basic needs of all peoples, and establish sustainable political practices all while taking the steps necessary to avoid irreversible damages to natural capital in the long...

Under the direction of international economist Professor Jeffrey Sachs, the Earth Institute supports pioneering projects in the biological, engineering, social, and health sciences, while actively encouraging interdisciplinary projects--often combining natural and social sciences--in pursuit of solutions to real world problems. Jeffrey Sachs Jeffrey David Sachs (born November 5, 1954 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American economist known for his work as an economic advisor to governments in Latin America, Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Asia, and Africa. ...

Sachs also serves as Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and is head of the United Nations Millennium Project. Earth Institute faculty lead several MDG task forces and are using MDG goals to shape their own research agendas. The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... The Millennium Development Goals are eight goals that 191 United Nations member states have agreed to try to achieve by the year 2015. ... The Millennium Project is an initiative that focuses on research implementing the organizational means, operational priorities, and financing structures necessary to achieve the Millennium Development Goals or (MDGs). ...

In its work, the Earth Institute remains mindful of the staggering disparities between rich and poor nations, and the tremendous impact that global-scale problems -- such as the AIDS pandemic, climate change and extreme poverty -- have on all nations. This article is about the syndrome. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400,000 years For current global climate change, see the main article Global warming. ...

See also

• Center for International Earth Science Information Network

The Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) is a center within The Earth Institute at Columbia University. ...

External links

• The Earth Institute at Columbia University