State of the Planet

News from the Columbia Climate School

Permian-Triassic extinction

  • Study Bolsters Volcanic Theory of Ancient Extinction

    Study Bolsters Volcanic Theory of Ancient Extinction

    A team of scientists has found new evidence to bolster the idea that the Permian Extinction, which occurred 252 million years ago, was caused by massive volcanic eruptions in what is now Siberia.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Composite banner with modern building at night and portrait of Dean Alexis Abramson that reads "Science for the Planet"

By studying thousands of buildings and analyzing their electricity use, Columbia Climate School Dean Alexis Abramson has been able to uncover ways to significantly cut energy consumption and emissions. Watch the Video: “Engineering a Cooler Future Through Smarter Buildings

  • Study Bolsters Volcanic Theory of Ancient Extinction

    Study Bolsters Volcanic Theory of Ancient Extinction

    A team of scientists has found new evidence to bolster the idea that the Permian Extinction, which occurred 252 million years ago, was caused by massive volcanic eruptions in what is now Siberia.

  • 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.

  • 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.