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.


Culberg joins NASA effort to probe rapidly changing Arctic glaciers

Riley Culberg, assistant professor, is a member of the science team for Snow4Flow, a new NASA mission to study how much ice glaciers contain and how much new snow they receive.

Around Cornell

Sociologist alumna who studies climate change wins MacArthur Fellowship

Sociologist Holly Jean Buck, Ph.D. ’17, a member of the University at Buffalo faculty, is one of 20 recipients of this year’s MacArthur Fellowships, known as the “genius grants,” for her research on climate change and environmental policy.

‘Rooted in Reciprocity’: Indigenous students share stories of how plants fuel connection

Through plants and personal stories, a new student-led exhibit at Cornell Botanic Gardens explores the concept that people live because the natural world lives.

Exhibit weaves together clothing, work and the environment

A Cornell University Library exhibit, “Weathering the Storm,” which examines the intersection of the environment, labor and workwear, opens Oct. 8 at the ILR School’s Catherwood Library.

Sea change: WildFin aims to improve fish behavior analysis in the wild

A doctoral student and a team of Cornell researchers and colleagues created WildFin, a data set composed of nine hours of video that they labeled frame-by-frame with fish behaviors.

Tariffs on Canadian power could raise costs, emissions and grid risks

A new study finds that tariffs on Canadian power could reduce the amount of imported electricity, raise prices, increase carbon emissions and make the power system more vulnerable to extreme weather. 

Creative tourism plan fosters forest protection, economic growth in Puerto Rico

A collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service and the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business aims to shape sustainable tourism development for Puerto Rico’s El Yunque National Forest.

Experts spotlight financial strategies to advance sustainability

Financial strategies can advance sustainability goals, but only if environmental trade-offs can be measured and incorporated into decisions, a panel of experts said at a Climate Week NYC 2026 event co-hosted by the SC Johnson College and Cornell Atkinson.

More damaged trees mean fewer ecosystem benefits for low-income residents

As an undergraduate researcher, Maya Mangala-Munuma '25 found that trees were three times more likely to be damaged in impoverished, racially diverse neighborhoods.