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As President Obama and the new administration develop their plan to lift our country out of an economic crisis of epic proportions, it is crucial that we, as citizens, make known the effect that our country's stimulus package could have on our most precious and sensitive resource - our planet.

From the perspective of a university president, I see the potential for enormous benefit for both our environment and our economy in the steps we must take to combat global warming, which threatens the planet's ecosystem and the lives of millions. I believe that leading the effort to reduce global warming fits squarely into our education, research and service missions.

Therefore, I, along with more than 600 college and university presidents, am proud to be a part of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, which represents more than 5 million students, to date.

Recent decisions made by the new administration are moving our environmental efforts in the right direction. In January, President Obama signed executive orders demanding tougher emissions standards for cars. This month, the administration cancelled $6 million of oil and gas leases in Utah's red rock country because the land, which is near national parks and monuments, did not get the environmental reviews appropriate for sensitive landscapes. The president also publicly recognizes the ability of green efforts to create new jobs and stimulate economic growth.

But we must not rest on our laurels. We need to impress upon our government and leaders around the world the importance of immediate and significant action to stop global warming. Shifting from a parochial to a global perspective is essential to bringing about the kinds of solutions we need to stop the environmental crisis that is eroding our planet.

The Presidents' Climate Commitment is built on two visions. First, it is the foremost effort by any major sector of society to set a long-term goal of climate neutrality. Second, it embraces a renewed dedication to the critical action, research and education needed to reverse the acceleration of global warming and remove a fundamental barrier to creating a healthy and sustainable society.

To fulfill the first vision, each institution promises to set a campus-wide goal of eliminating net global warming emissions as soon as possible. Those of us who signed the commitment believe that climate neutrality is an appropriate, although very ambitious goal. Making major investments today that would achieve only 30 percent or 40 percent reductions down the line would be an expensive mistake for the environment. Taken as a whole, the totality of institutions moving toward climate neutrality will have the powerful direct effect of driving technology and business to create the tools we need, thus stimulating the economy, and sending a powerful message to the rest of the world that collective action can produce results.

The response to the second vision is a pledge to expand education and research on global warming. Providing sustainability education to the leaders of tomorrow is as important as reducing and eventually eliminating our schools' contribution to global warming today. Graduates will leave with not just their diploma in hand but also with the tools necessary to develop ongoing solutions to the threat of climate change.

Efforts to combat global warming hold the potential to reignite our economy. A study by the Political and Economic Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts estimates that a "green recovery program," costing $100 billion, would generate 2 million jobs in just two years. PERI estimates that more than $7 billion would be spent in New York, generating more than 130,000 jobs. The program would include new efforts to increase energy efficiency by retrofitting buildings, improving the electrical grid, expanding and enhancing mass transit and freight rail, and developing solar, wind and biomass projects.

Albert Einstein observed, "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." Keeping this in mind, we must rise to the global challenges we now face and conquer adversity with creativity, innovation and determination.

• David Skorton is the president of Cornell University.