Biosphere 2 Center was opened to the public in 1990 as a research and learning center to explore how our environment affects our lives and how we affect our environment.
From the beginning, the goal of Biosphere 2 has been to find ways to become responsible stewards of our planet, ensuring a good quality of life for us and for future generations.
On January 1, 1996, Columbia University - one of the world's leading research and education institutions - joined Biosphere 2 Center to expand and guide its programs.
Many changes have taken place. Under the direction of Columbia's renowned Earth Institute, new educational, research and public programs have been instituted. Exhibits have been developed which include the "Climate Change and Life on Earth" exhibition developed by the American Museum of Natural History and the Environmental Defense Fund.
Biosphere 2 is the world's largest glass-enclosed ecological laboratory. Inside, researchers are working to understand how increased carbon dioxide in our atmosphere - such as that produced by cars, industry and the burning of forests - will affect us and the systems we live in and depend upon.
Educators at Biosphere 2 Center - through campus courses and via the World Wide Web - are relaying information about Biosphere 2's discoveries to the public so that, together, we can decide how best to manage our planet.
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