State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Geopoetry5

  • The New World

    The New World

    On a man in the mountains, dusk falls; Shadows seep upward and spread. Scaling the black, chiseled walls, He silently seeks the dead.

  • The Breathing Ocean

    The Breathing Ocean

    Far south and farther south, where winds are cold and screaming, Waters churn, and deep below, old sediments lie dreaming. A million years’ residuum of life and death and dust, A library of ice ages reposed upon Earth’s crust.

  • Hell’s Chicken

    Hell’s Chicken

    From our great, wild west, those rusty, dusty hills, Bones of a beast who would give a cowboy chills. A fierce-looking crest – a mohawk made of bone! Claws, beak, bony tail, locked within hard stone.

  • Black Holes

    Black Holes

    In most observed galaxy hearts, Massive black holes reside, Formed from dark-baryon parts, As huge stars collapse or collide.

  • Lords of the Past

    Lords of the Past

    With life, legged and finned, Earth had been teeming, Slitherers, predators, graceful trees tall … Now, of these species, we are only dreaming: Glossopteris, trilobites, eurypterids, all.

  • Greenland Ice

    Greenland Ice

    If you went to Greenland, almost 80 North, And drilled your way down … a mile, then more, You’d find some strange layers, a story’d come forth A record of ice ages locked in a core.

  • Keys to Success

    Keys to Success

    Humans hate to catch the flu, But here’s a fact that’s less well-known: Bacteria get infections too As many cultures have now shown.

  • Sea Change

    Sea Change

    Gliders and buoys and robots — oh my! Over and through the ocean they fly. Oodles of data from sensors galore, Studied by many, far from the sea’s roar.

  • The Dawn of Plate Tectonics

    The Dawn of Plate Tectonics

    An ancient grain of zircon found In Jack Hill sandstone north of Perth, Inside its crystal lattice bound: Secrets of our planet’s birth.

Colorful icons representing nature, sustainable living, and renewable energy with text "Earth Day 2026"

The first Earth Day in 1970 ignited a movement to stop polluting our planet. Today, our scientists and experts are tackling the most pressing challenges to achieve real-world impact. This Earth Day, join us in our commitment to realizing a just and sustainable future for our planet. Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.

  • The New World

    The New World

    On a man in the mountains, dusk falls; Shadows seep upward and spread. Scaling the black, chiseled walls, He silently seeks the dead.

  • The Breathing Ocean

    The Breathing Ocean

    Far south and farther south, where winds are cold and screaming, Waters churn, and deep below, old sediments lie dreaming. A million years’ residuum of life and death and dust, A library of ice ages reposed upon Earth’s crust.

  • Hell’s Chicken

    Hell’s Chicken

    From our great, wild west, those rusty, dusty hills, Bones of a beast who would give a cowboy chills. A fierce-looking crest – a mohawk made of bone! Claws, beak, bony tail, locked within hard stone.

  • Black Holes

    Black Holes

    In most observed galaxy hearts, Massive black holes reside, Formed from dark-baryon parts, As huge stars collapse or collide.

  • Lords of the Past

    Lords of the Past

    With life, legged and finned, Earth had been teeming, Slitherers, predators, graceful trees tall … Now, of these species, we are only dreaming: Glossopteris, trilobites, eurypterids, all.

  • Greenland Ice

    Greenland Ice

    If you went to Greenland, almost 80 North, And drilled your way down … a mile, then more, You’d find some strange layers, a story’d come forth A record of ice ages locked in a core.

  • Keys to Success

    Keys to Success

    Humans hate to catch the flu, But here’s a fact that’s less well-known: Bacteria get infections too As many cultures have now shown.

  • Sea Change

    Sea Change

    Gliders and buoys and robots — oh my! Over and through the ocean they fly. Oodles of data from sensors galore, Studied by many, far from the sea’s roar.

  • The Dawn of Plate Tectonics

    The Dawn of Plate Tectonics

    An ancient grain of zircon found In Jack Hill sandstone north of Perth, Inside its crystal lattice bound: Secrets of our planet’s birth.