much on references to primary sources . please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources . november 2009 learn how and when to remove this template message the earth institute founded 1995 ; 21 years ago 1995 location new york city united states locations 405 low library 535 west 116th street new york ny 10027 key people jeffrey sachs director affiliations columbia university website www.earth.columbia.edu 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 . contents 1 description 2 research units 2.1 lamont doherty earth observatory ldeo 2.2 agriculture and food security center agcenter 2.3 columbia water center cwc 2.4 center for rivers and estuaries 2.5 center for climate systems research ccsr 2.6 earth institute center for environmental sustainability eices 2.7 the earth engineering center eec 2.8 lenfest center for sustainable energy lcse 2.9 the center for global health and economic development cghed 2.10 the center for national health development in ethiopia cnhde 2.11 the center on globalization and sustainable development cgsd 2.12 the center for the study of science and religion cssr 2.13 the center on capitalism and society 2.14 the center for sustainable urban development csud 2.15 center for international earth science information network ciesin 2.16 international research institute for climate and society iri 2.17 the center for hazards and risk research chrr 2.18 the urban design lab 3 partnership institutions 3.1 the black rock forest consortium 3.2 center for research on environmental decisions cred 3.3 cooperative institute for climate applications and research cicar 3.4 goddard institute for space studies giss 3.5 laboratory of populations 3.6 global coalition against pneumonia 4 see also 5 references 6 external links 6.1 research units 6.2 partnership institutions description edit 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 . sachs also serves as special advisor to united nations secretary general on the millennium development goals mdgs and was head of the united nations millennium project from 2002 2006 . earth institute faculty lead several mdg task forces and are using mdg goals to shape their own research agendas . 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 hiv aids pandemic climate change and extreme poverty have on all nations . research units edit lamont doherty earth observatory ldeo edit main article lamont doherty earth observatory lamont doherty earth observatory was established in 1949 and is a world class research institution specializing in the earth sciences . ldeo conducts research on all aspects of the planet both above and below ground on land and sea with topics that include earthquakes volcanoes global climate change resources and environmental hazards . the current director of lamont is sean solomon . agriculture and food security center agcenter edit main article agriculture and food security center the agriculture and food security center s mission is to mobilize science and technology to advance sustainable agricultural intensification on the ground with a particular emphasis on tropical areas but including developed countries as appropriate to our comparative advantage . this approach emphasizes field based systems research that identifies biophysical limitations and constraints to production and focuses on the agronomic tools and practices to overcome them as well as their effects on livelihoods and the environment . columbia water center cwc edit main article columbia water center the columbia water center was founded in 2008 and is looking into the assessment understanding and resolution of the global crisis of water scarcity . the center aims to design reliable sustainable models of water management and development that can be implemented on local regional and global levels . 1 the columbia water center conducts projects both domestically and internationally with projects currently underway in india mali brazil and china . the current director of cwc is upmanu lall . center for rivers and estuaries edit the center for river and estuaries is focused on the better understanding of rivers and estuaries worldwide . this includes the distribution transport and flux of contaminants sediments nutrients organic material carbon and aerosols . the center also studies the evolution and linkage of marshes and wetlands . 2 the center is divided into three main areas of research 3 maintenance of the hudson river and new york harbor finding solutions to use the water system without harming the ecosystems of the watershed and maintaining the diverse estuary fisheries for commercial and recreational use . center for climate systems research ccsr edit the center for climate systems research was established in 1994 to promote interdisciplinary research in earth and climate systems for both the goddard institute for space studies and columbia . ccsr seeks a greater understanding of climate sensitivity and variability including the force and feedback mechanisms that influence climate particularly with regard to how this can impact humanity and environmental stability . its current director is leonard druyan . earth institute center for environmental sustainability eices edit main article earth institute center for environmental sustainability the earth institute center for environmental sustainability eices formerly known as the center for environmental research and conservation cerc has been actively involved in protecting biodiversity and ecosystems . the earth institute center for environmental sustainability is dedicated to the development of a rich robust and vibrant world within which we can secure a sustainable future . through a diverse array of strategic partners in science education and outreach the center builds unique programs that promote human well being through the preservation restoration and management of biodiversity and the services our ecosystems provide . the earth engineering center eec edit the earth engineering center was established in 1996 and serves as the principal engineering unit of the earth institute . the eec aims to find solutions to achieve sustainable development of earth s resources including water energy minerals materials and the environment at large . it includes over 20 members of the engineering school faculty at columbia and specialists from other columbia schools as well as environmental organizations and other universities . the eec is a part of the henry krumb school of mines and linked to the earth and environmental engineering department . its current director is professor nickolas themelis . lenfest center for sustainable energy lcse edit the mission of the lenfest center for sustainable energy lcse is to advance science and develop innovative technologies that provide sustainable energy for all humanity while maintaining the stability of the earth s natural systems . lenfest research areas include advanced fuel concepts carbon sequestration and small scale energy conversion systems e.g. fischer tropsch process . 4 the current director is ah hyung alissa park . the center for global health and economic development cghed edit the center for global health and economic development is a joint effort between the mailman school of public health and the earth institute that seeks to address issues of global health . cghed partners with the united nations the world health organization and private donors to expand successful existing programs and develop new ones as well . the center focuses on many issues including aids tuberculosis gender equity maternal mortality reproductive health environmental contamination such as arsenic forced migration and human rights . projects include the access project and the millennium villages project . cghed aims to develop the best health systems for the poor while promoting sustainable economic development to reach the millennium development goals . the current director is joanna rubinstein . the center for national health development in ethiopia cnhde edit the center for national health development in ethiopia cnhde is a project that supports efforts to better the health and lives of ethiopian people by working on a variety of programs to meet substantive public health goals in the state . the center s 4 main activities designed to serve as a model for national health beyond ethiopia s borders are the health extension program the millennium development goals for ethiopia the millennium village project and the quick impact initiative . the director is awash teklehaimanot . the center on globalization and sustainable development cgsd edit the center on globalization and sustainable development is a research unit of the earth institute of columbia university charged with managing social science activities . the mission of cgsd is to apply social science approaches to international development problems . the center collaborates with the faculty of the social science departments of columbia university and is primarily focused on interdisciplinary research and policy application . the center is operated on the principle that solutions must cross many disciplines because the problems do as well including the environment public health disaster preparedness and economic planning . the center for the study of science and religion cssr edit main article center for the study of science and religion the center for the study of science and religion is a collaborative forum designed to examine the issues lying at the boundary of scientific and religious ways of comprehending the world . 5 cssr works across disciplines and schools in an effort to have social scientists incorporate religion and rituals in the modeling and prediction of human behavior particularly in the areas of social planning research and policy . the director is robert pollack the center on capitalism and society edit the center on capitalism and society seeks to determine the means by which a country can successfully achieve economic success through its ability to generate and develop sound commercial ideas . the center s work is based upon a theory of capitalism where entrepreneurs and financiers are the key actors and the discovery of viable ideas is the essential activity . the director is professor of economics and nobel laureate edmund phelps . the center for sustainable urban development csud edit the center for sustainable urban development was established in 2004 by the volvo research and education foundations and seeks the creation of sustainable cities both physically and socially . the center s first project was to develop land use and transport planning in developing countries that promote sustainable growth . the director is elliott sclar . center for international earth science information network ciesin edit the center for international earth science information network was established in 1989 as an independent ngo to research the interaction between man and the environment . in 1998 ciesin became part of the columbia university earth institute . offices are located at the lamont doherty earth observatory in palisades new york . ciesin provides a large amount of data and information about the earth to meet the needs of both scientists and decision makers by means of education consultation and training . the center is focused on applying modern information technology towards many research problems to meet this goal . specifically ciesin was one of the first groups that developed and provided interactive informatics tools using the internet . 6 the current office of directors include director robert s. chen deputy directory marc levy and communications coordinator elisabeth sydor . international research institute for climate and society iri edit the international research institute for climate and society was established in 1996 and became part of the earth institute in 2005 . 7 the iri s mission is to enhance society s capability to understand anticipate and manage the impacts of climate in order to improve human welfare and the environment especially in developing countries