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 Atkinson awards catalyze solutions in food, climate, clean energy

Atkinson Venture Fund awards have distributed $21.7 million to 223 projects spanning every college on Cornell’s campus over 15 years.

Biodiversity allows for sustainable fisheries, better nutrition

To satisfy the seafood needs of billions of people, offering them access to a more biodiverse array of fish creates opportunities to mix-and-match species to obtain better nutrition from smaller portions of fish.

Electric buses don’t like the cold, study finds

In collaboration with Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, researchers found that a pilot fleet of seven electric buses consumed up to 48% more energy in cold weather.

Students win summer awards to work on startups

The programs provide students with summer funding up to $6,000.

Around Cornell

Moving pictures: Researchers use movies to diagnose EV battery failure

Cornell chemists have developed a way to diagnose the mechanisms behind battery failure in extreme climates using electron microscopy.

Cornell researchers win Four Bezos Earth Fund Awards

Four Cornell researchers were chosen from a competitive, global application pool to receive Bezos Earth Fund awards to use AI to address climate change and nature loss.

Around Cornell

Cornell partners on landmark hydrogen emissions study

Cornell researchers partner with EDF and industry to study mitigation strategies that could minimize hydrogen emissions and maximize the climate benefit of a growing hydrogen economy.

Around Cornell

Athletes win collegiate cup to support healthy coral reefs

In the six weeks leading up to Earth Day, more than 200 Cornell student-athletes, coaches and community members exercised not only to strengthen their bodies, but also to restore corals in the South Pacific.

Happy together: Peroxide binds incompatible polymers for recycling

Researchers developed an inexpensive and potentially scalable approach to bind together a pair of popular but incompatible polymers, thereby creating a more useful, high-quality plastic recycling additive.