We live at a time when no part of the natural environment is untouched by human activities. Although we have made great strides in addressing many of the natural resources and environmental problems caused by human activities, population growth and rising standards of living continue to stress the natural environment and generate a spectrum of environmental problems that need to be addressed. Environmental engineers are called upon to understand, arrange, and manipulate the biological, chemical, ecological, economic, hydrological, physical, and social processes that take place in our environment in an effort to balance our material needs with our impacts on the environment. Such are the challenges of sustainability, while global climate makes these tasks all the more important.

At Cornell, Environmental Engineering Majors pursue these challenges in a joint program between the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering and the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.