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.


Natural climate protection may be written in stone

The rocky surface of Earth’s geology may provide a buffer for climate change to absorb excess carbon, according to a new Cornell paper in Global Biogeochemical Cycles.

Canadian research team earns Borlaug Gene Stewardship Award

The rust-resistant wheat cultivar development team at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) earned the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative (BGRI) 2021 Gene Stewardship Award for their long-standing innovations and strategies to…

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Cheers! Wine’s red grape pulp offers nutritional bounty

Cornell food scientists now show that the leftover pulp from the red wine making process has the potential to be a nutritive, illness-reducing treasure.

Climate change adaptation requires Indigenous knowledge

Karim-Aly Kassam is leading a project that brings together Indigenous and rural communities and scholars from across the globe to develop ecological calendars that integrate local cultural systems with seasonal indicators.

Postdoctoral fellow works to save endangered Hawaiian birds from mosquito menace

On the island of Kaua‘i, six native bird species recently experienced collapses coinciding with a sharp increase in mosquitoes and malaria. Dr. Katherine McClure is working to save Hawai’i’s native bird populations from this disease, specifically the Hawaiian honeycreepers.

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Tying quantum computing to AI prompts a smarter power grid

Fumbling to find flashlights during blackouts soon may be a memory, as quantum computing and AI may quickly solve an electric grid’s hiccups so fast, humans may not notice.

eBird data can help track bee health

A two-year, $500,000 grant will allow a team of Cornell data scientists and ecologists to use eBird data to explore a new way to track pollinator health and biodiversity.

States That Prioritized Access to Water at Height of Pandemic Saved Lives

Water shutoffs for non-payment are a constant threat for millions of Americans in any given year. That risk was a deadly one during the pandemic, with access to clean water for handwashing and sanitation a proven way to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The dozens of states that implemented moratoria on water shutoffs to protect vulnerable citizens reported better public health outcomes, according to a new Cornell study.

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Wind energy can help Earth blow back climate calamity

Two Cornell professors calculate how wind energy scenarios could reduce atmospheric average temperatures by 0.3 to 0.8 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.