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.


Researchers look for genetic clues to help grapes survive cold

3-D images of grape buds produced at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source may help geneticists to create crops that can withstand extreme cold.

Microalgae could play key role in relieving climate warming

Marine microalgae may play a crucial role in mitigating atmospheric greenhouse gas, reducing carbon dioxide from commercial agriculture and steadying the global climate, according to Cornell research.

Mahowald tapped to help frame UN report on global warming

Natalie Mahowald, professor of earth and atmospheric science, has been selected by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as a lead author on a special global warming report.

Cornell to host carbon neutrality forum March 28

Cornell's Senior Leaders Climate Action Group will host a public forum March 28 to discuss "Options for Achieving a Carbon Neutral Campus by 2035" from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Hotel Ithaca.

Cornell buttons up, battens down during winter storm

A nor’easter, combined with a winter storm from the Great Lakes, bore down on the Northeast Tuesday and Wednesday. For the first time in three years, Cornell closed the Ithaca campus due to a snow storm.

Cornell hosts Hong Kong sustainability meeting April 6-7

Cornell will host "Sustainability in Asia: Partnerships for Research and Implementation," a conference about sustainability research and community engagement in Hong Kong, April 6-7.

Doctoral student named Future Leader in Science

Ann Bybee-Finley, a second-year doctoral student at Cornell studying cropping systems resilience with a focus on Northeastern dairy producers, has been named a 2017 Future Leader in Science.

Students survey beetles, piranha, sharks for Earthwatch

Environmental and Sustainability Sciences majors – journeyed to three points around the globe to conduct hands-on research in January via Earthwatch.

Milkweed defensive strategy drives away friends of enemies

A new study shows how milkweed toxins affect the web of creatures that surround the predatory aphids, especially ants, which frequently serve as aphid protectors.