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.


Cornell startup ZYMtronix partners with enzyme company

ZYMtronix, a startup company with roots in Cornell-developed technology and operating in Cornell’s McGovern Center for business development, has signed an agreement with Codexis, a major producer of pharmaceutical enzymes.

Research team is hell-bent on saving hellbenders

Wildlife veterinarian Elizabeth Bunting is leading a team to save the lives of the eastern hellbender – a freshwater salamander that can grow to more than two feet long.

Belief in climate change doesn't always lead to action

Cornell researchers have set out to identify factors that may motivate Americans to mobilize for grassroots action on climate change.

Proposed Geneva solar array conjures electrifying future

Continuing an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, Cornell University is proposing a 10-acre solar farm on university property in the town of Seneca, New York, where the university conducts agricultural research.

Adapting is key to survive climate change, says Revkin

Environmental advocate, journalist and A.D. White Professor-at-Large Andrew Revkin talked with students at William Keeton House Oct. 30.

Forests lose essential nitrogen in surprising way

Researchers have discovered that patches of waterlogged soil in forested watersheds act as hot spots of microbial activity that remove nitrogen from groundwater and return it to the atmosphere.

Newly found fungus is threat to salamanders worldwide

A pathogenic fungus that infects salamanders and newts has jumped out of Southeast Asia and threatens species worldwide.

Food systems global summit slated for Dec. 8

Academic experts and industry insiders will gather at Cornell on Dec. 8 for a global summit to discuss new approaches to emerging food system challenges.

Faculty apprise alumni on solving global challenges

Six Cornell professors – each with distinctive areas of study – provided 10-minute presentations on the university’s international impact at Bailey Hall on Oct. 17.