The Late Paleozoic (Early Devonian to Middle Permian) was an interval of profound changes in Earth-surface systems, reflected in dynamic interplay among the biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere. Major events transpired, including the colonization of landmasses by vascular plants, the assembly of the supercontinent Pangea, two first-order mass extinctions (the Frasnian-Famennian and Devonian-Carboniferous boundary events), and the most severe icehouse climate mode of the Phanerozoic (the Late Paleozoic Ice Age, LPIA). The goals of the present review are (1) to summarize major global developments in climate, oceanography, and paleobiology during the Late Paleozoic, (2) to examine the roles of land plant evolution, global tectonics, and large igneous province magmatism in driving these developments, and (3) to serve as an introduction to the 23 contributions to this special issue of Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, indicating how they advance our knowledge of various scientific issues related to these developments.