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.


Dust in the wind -- and the atmosphere -- affects climate and habitation, Mahowald says

Natalie Mahowald, associate professor of earth and atmospheric sciences, said the concentration of dust in the atmosphere could affect global systems including climate, precipitation and vegetation.

Acoustic maps of ocean noise reveal how shipping traffic affects whales

Chris Clark discussed his state-of-the-art acoustic animations and the difficulties facing whales Feb. 21 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in San Diego.

Cloned gene being used to develop aluminum tolerant crops, Kochian says at AAAS

Leon Kochian and colleagues have cloned a unique sorghum gene that is being used to develop sorghum lines that can withstand toxic levels of aluminum in the soil, a consequence of acidic soils. (Feb. 22, 2010)

Milstein Hall on track; will be a model of sustainable design

The structural steelwork of Paul Milstein Hall will take shape starting in April; the facilities expansion for the College of Architecture, Art and Planning is on schedule to open in August 2011. (Feb. 18, 2010)

Committee forms to advise president on gas drilling

Faculty, staff committee forms to advise Cornell administration on future decisions regarding the leasing of Cornell lands for horizontal drilling combined with hydraulic fracturing.

Experiment station's 'culture of sustainability' serves as model for campus

The Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station has adopted a culture of sustainability that welcomes ideas from everyone in the organization.

Engineers to work on disaster risk management strategies

The researchers will develop mathematical representations of strategic interactions between building owners and insurance companies in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

Devastation in Haiti had human causes, too, panelists say

The tragedy surrounding the earthquake in Haiti is the result of human failure as much as natural disaster, said geology and engineering faculty members in a panel discussion Jan. 25 in Phillips Hall. (Jan. 26, 2010)

Why climate change threatens our inner life and survival

Citizen Science director Janis Dickinson discusses why many people are in denial when it comes to climate change.