State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Geopoetry4

  • Tale of a Carbon Atom

    Tale of a Carbon Atom

    I am a wild carbon atom, To others I’ve sometimes been bound, Not locked in some hard, rocky stratum, I’m telling you: I get around!

  • Iron Fingerprints

    Iron Fingerprints

    Metals galore in deep Earth, But at the sea surface, a dearth. Iron is key For greening the sea … To planktic cells, gold has less worth.

  • Australopithecene Dental Calculus

    Australopithecene Dental Calculus

    Across a mixed landscape, Au. sediba plods Sometimes on two feet, and sometimes on four, Munching on fruits and leguminous pods, Nuts and some seeds … C3 foods galore!

  • Dancing in the Darkness

    Dancing in the Darkness

      In deep darkness, cunning lights are softly luring prey, Drawing closer to the glow, only some will flee … Subtle bodies, clear as glass, with organs on display, Exquisite dances only certain piercing eyes can see.

  • Apophis

    Apophis

    You may have heard the recent cries: An asteroid towards us flies! Apophis, a rocky mass, Some years from now will closely pass…

  • Lake Goo Clue

    Lake Goo Clue

    The lands of Africa’s Horn, Great Valleys sliced by a Rift, By drought and famine are torn … What drives such a large rainfall shift?

  • Some Do Not Like It Hot

    Some Do Not Like It Hot

    The Great Dying, The Big One — The Permo-Triassic! (In a time machine, not sure if that’s where I’d aim …) As extinctions go, this one’s a blockbuster classic, When most of Earth’s species dropped out of the game.

  • Unexpected Sisters

    Unexpected Sisters

    An ancient island’s trove of treasure: Madagascan fauna Tenrec, fossa, lemur, hippo, dugong, bat, iguana. A giant bird – O, wondrous beast! – a half a ton, and tall, Laid foot-long eggs, had beefy legs, and did not fly at all.

  • Weak Underbelly

    Weak Underbelly

    Antarctica’s uncertain fuse, A “weak underbelly,” said Hughes. Pine Island and Thwaites, Thrown open, the gates? As humans, what path should we choose?

Rainforest and Columbia campus collage banner with text "UN COP30, Belem, Brazil, Nov 10-21, 2025"

During COP30—the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference taking place November 10–21 in Belém, Brazil—experts from Columbia Climate School and Columbia University will be contributing to key events, sharing insights, and helping shape the dialogue toward ambitious, science-based solutions. Learn More

  • Tale of a Carbon Atom

    Tale of a Carbon Atom

    I am a wild carbon atom, To others I’ve sometimes been bound, Not locked in some hard, rocky stratum, I’m telling you: I get around!

  • Iron Fingerprints

    Iron Fingerprints

    Metals galore in deep Earth, But at the sea surface, a dearth. Iron is key For greening the sea … To planktic cells, gold has less worth.

  • Australopithecene Dental Calculus

    Australopithecene Dental Calculus

    Across a mixed landscape, Au. sediba plods Sometimes on two feet, and sometimes on four, Munching on fruits and leguminous pods, Nuts and some seeds … C3 foods galore!

  • Dancing in the Darkness

    Dancing in the Darkness

      In deep darkness, cunning lights are softly luring prey, Drawing closer to the glow, only some will flee … Subtle bodies, clear as glass, with organs on display, Exquisite dances only certain piercing eyes can see.

  • Apophis

    Apophis

    You may have heard the recent cries: An asteroid towards us flies! Apophis, a rocky mass, Some years from now will closely pass…

  • Lake Goo Clue

    Lake Goo Clue

    The lands of Africa’s Horn, Great Valleys sliced by a Rift, By drought and famine are torn … What drives such a large rainfall shift?

  • Some Do Not Like It Hot

    Some Do Not Like It Hot

    The Great Dying, The Big One — The Permo-Triassic! (In a time machine, not sure if that’s where I’d aim …) As extinctions go, this one’s a blockbuster classic, When most of Earth’s species dropped out of the game.

  • Unexpected Sisters

    Unexpected Sisters

    An ancient island’s trove of treasure: Madagascan fauna Tenrec, fossa, lemur, hippo, dugong, bat, iguana. A giant bird – O, wondrous beast! – a half a ton, and tall, Laid foot-long eggs, had beefy legs, and did not fly at all.

  • Weak Underbelly

    Weak Underbelly

    Antarctica’s uncertain fuse, A “weak underbelly,” said Hughes. Pine Island and Thwaites, Thrown open, the gates? As humans, what path should we choose?