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.


Ari Novy named executive director of Cornell Botanic Gardens

Ari Novy, Ph.D., a plant scientist, science educator, and leader in botanic-garden management, was named executive director of Cornell Botanic Gardens. He comes to Cornell from San Diego Botanic Gardens, where he served as president and CEO, and also was adjunct associate professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. 

Around Cornell

Study reveals deer inhibit trees but raise plant diversity

At high densities, white-tailed deer inhibit growth of trees but increase the overall diversity of smaller plant and weed species, according to a long-term study published Dec. 23 in PLOS One.

Around Cornell

Youth build resilience in climate-vulnerable Sierre Leone

A collaboration based in Bo City empowers future leaders to invest in climate adaptation, providing a model for other "secondary cities."

Widespread ‘enhanced rock weathering’ could slow global warming

One of the most recent technologies for sequestering carbon, enhanced rock weathering could remove up to a gigaton of carbon by 2100 if adopted globally.

‘Unprecedented’ emissions maps will hone mitigation

The new, high-resolution maps calculate global emissions from croplands by region, crop and source – enabling hyper-local mitigation. 

Composers tackle environmental issues in new exhibit

A multimedia Cornell University Library exhibition, demonstrating how music can be a powerful vehicle for raising environmental awareness, opens Feb. 20 at the Sidney Cox Library of Music and Dance.

Grants fund oyster restoration, ‘cattlevoltaics’

Five new projects from the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and The Nature Conservancy seek to protect pollinators, restore oyster habitats, manage flood risk and support “cattlevoltaics.”

11 new researchers become Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellows

The new cohort will investigate the use of AI to advance exploration in science, technology and engineering. 

Around Cornell

Removing southern African fences may help wildlife, boost economy

Across parts of southern Africa, fences aim to separate cattle from other animals to prevent the spread of diseases, but they also restrict wildlife migrations.