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 economist co-edits PNAS issue focused on value of clean water

A new special issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, co-edited by Cornell economist Catherine Kling, advances the science of measuring the public benefit of clean water.

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Upcycling method turns textile trash to functional coatings

To make textiles more sustainable, a new method allows researchers to break old clothing down chemically and reuse polyester compounds to create fire resistant, anti-bacterial or wrinkle-free coatings that could then be applied to clothes and fabrics.

How do we nourish people and the planet?

As the world population grows and climate change threatens agriculture and global food systems, researchers across Cornell CALS are reimagining agri-food systems for the 21st century.

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Arts and Sciences faculty featured on Academic Minute

Five faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences will be featured on a “Cornell week” on The Academic Minute radio program from May 1-5.

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Students’ island clean-up trip inspires multimedia projects

Fourteen students spent their spring break on a Massachusetts island, dismantling hundreds of discarded lobster traps, collecting sounds of the island and deepening their understanding of human impacts on marine life.

Book goes underground to find how climate change shapes stories

In her new book, “Subsurface,” professor Karen Pinkus confronts the global threat of climate change by using select literary works from the 19th century to delve underneath comfortable narrative layers and complacent ecological modes.

Massive Caribbean sea urchin die-off caused by parasite

Scientists have discovered that a parasite is behind a severe die-off of long-spined sea urchins across the Caribbean Sea, which has had devastating consequences for coral reefs and surrounding marine ecosystems.

Research in action: planning with, not for, informal settlement communities

Urban sustainability expert Charity Mumbi Mwangi is a programs officer at Slum Dwellers International–Kenya, part of a community-led international network focused on improving the lives of people living in informal settlements.

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New fellowship to bolster innovation in clean technology

The Green Technology Innovation Fellowship will prepare participants to launch their own startups or serve as leaders in the global transition to clean energy and technology.