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.


Deer eating habits have lasting damage on forests

Eating habits of deer lower native plant diversity and abundance, while increasing the proportion of plant communities made up of non-native species, according to a new study.

New study reveals flower color, fragrance coordination

It’s possible to predict the fragrance of a flower by looking at its color, according to a study of species on the Greek island of Lesbos that included Cornell professor Robert Raguso.

Geologists to deploy seismometers along Alaskan Peninsula

Cornell is leading the largest single deployment of seismometers along the Alaskan Peninsula – a $4.5 million endeavor to solve long-standing mysteries about the region.

Gene Madsen, expert in environmental microbiology, dies at 64

Eugene L. Madsen, M.S. ’81, Ph.D. ’85, professor of microbiology, died Aug. 9 in Freeville, New York. He was 64.

Research: Climate impacts of land use are underestimated

A new Cornell-led study shows that deforestation and subsequent use of lands for agriculture or pasture, especially in tropical regions, contribute more to climate change than previously thought.

Study to explore how phosphorus cycles through the environment

A new grant to a researcher in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences aims to discover the ways phosphorus cycles in the environment.

‘Building Sustainable Communities’ forum is Sept. 28-29

Cornell’s Community and Regional Development Institute (CaRDI) hosts “Building Sustainable Communities: Global Forces, Local Focus,” Sept. 28-29 on campus to help communities become more sustainable.

Right whale deaths may be a casualty of climate crisis

In and around the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where five Canadian provinces converge, a string of North American right whale deaths occurred throughout this summer. For Cornell scientists, the whales may represent another casualty for the climate crisis impacting the world’s oceans.

Fungal spore 'death clouds' key in gypsy moth fight

A fungus known to decimate populations of gypsy moths creates “death clouds” of spores that can travel more than 40 miles to potentially infect populations of invasive moths, according to a new study.