Energy, Environment & Sustainability

Cornell is a global leader in sustainability and climate change research, teaching and engagement. Our campuses are living laboratories for developing, testing and implementing solutions that address these most challenging issues.


Lost frogs rediscovered with environmental DNA

Scientists have detected signs of a frog listed extinct and not seen since 1968, using an innovative technique to locate declining and missing species in two regions of Brazil.

China’s green plan displaces villagers, forces inequity

As China creates more green space near its cities, the modernization plan – relocating 250 million rural villagers into urban centers by 2025 – has a dark side: socioeconomic inequity.

Alumni-fueled startups pitch clean-energy solutions

This year’s 76West Clean Energy Competition featured three Cornellian-led startups that could potentially generate economic development in the Southern Tier with clean-energy technology.

TCAT gears up for passenger, driver safety; route changes

For local transit buses this fall, the road through the COVID-19 pandemic is paved with safety, as TCAT’s fall service schedule starts Aug. 30 and runs through Thanksgiving.

Cornell Atkinson awards $250K in COVID research grants

Since requesting proposals in April, the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability has awarded approximately $250,000 in rapid-response grants for COVID-19-related Cornell research.

Green practices can negate climate emissions on NY farms

New York agriculture has the capacity to mitigate its own greenhouse gas emissions, two Cornell researchers say in a state-funded report commissioned by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Higher-ed consortium partners on renewable energy

Cornell is among 21 higher-education institutions in New York submitting a collaborative request for proposals to purchase renewable electric energy from sources built over the next 2 ½ years in New York state.

Demographics data helps predict NY flood insurance claims

In flood-prone areas of the Hudson River valley in New York state, census areas with more white and affluent home owners tend to file a higher percentage of flood insurance claims than lower-income, minority residents, according to a new study. 

Molecular study could improve climate change modeling

A team of chemists, including Cornell’s Paul Houston, has unveiled the mechanics involved in the interplay between sunlight and molecules known as “roaming reactions,” which could improve climate change modeling.