diff --git a/src/environment.rs b/src/environment.rs
index 338b60ec..8aabfa57 100644
--- a/src/environment.rs
+++ b/src/environment.rs
@@ -1,11 +1,7 @@
 use std::{
-	cell::UnsafeCell,
 	ffi::{self, CStr, CString},
-	ptr,
-	sync::{
-		atomic::{AtomicPtr, Ordering},
-		Arc
-	}
+	ptr::{self, NonNull},
+	sync::{Arc, RwLock}
 };
 
 use ort_sys::c_char;
@@ -20,12 +16,12 @@ use crate::{
 };
 
 struct EnvironmentSingleton {
-	cell: UnsafeCell<Option<Arc<Environment>>>
+	lock: RwLock<Option<Arc<Environment>>>
 }
 
 unsafe impl Sync for EnvironmentSingleton {}
 
-static G_ENV: EnvironmentSingleton = EnvironmentSingleton { cell: UnsafeCell::new(None) };
+static G_ENV: EnvironmentSingleton = EnvironmentSingleton { lock: RwLock::new(None) };
 
 /// An `Environment` is a process-global structure, under which [`Session`](crate::Session)s are created.
 ///
@@ -41,14 +37,14 @@ static G_ENV: EnvironmentSingleton = EnvironmentSingleton { cell: UnsafeCell::ne
 #[derive(Debug)]
 pub struct Environment {
 	pub(crate) execution_providers: Vec<ExecutionProviderDispatch>,
-	pub(crate) env_ptr: AtomicPtr<ort_sys::OrtEnv>,
+	pub(crate) env_ptr: NonNull<ort_sys::OrtEnv>,
 	pub(crate) has_global_threadpool: bool
 }
 
 impl Environment {
 	/// Returns the underlying [`ort_sys::OrtEnv`] pointer.
 	pub fn ptr(&self) -> *mut ort_sys::OrtEnv {
-		self.env_ptr.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
+		self.env_ptr.as_ptr()
 	}
 }
 
@@ -57,23 +53,22 @@ impl Drop for Environment {
 	fn drop(&mut self) {
 		debug!("Releasing environment");
 
-		let env_ptr: *mut ort_sys::OrtEnv = *self.env_ptr.get_mut();
-
-		assert_ne!(env_ptr, std::ptr::null_mut());
-		ortsys![unsafe ReleaseEnv(env_ptr)];
+		ortsys![unsafe ReleaseEnv(self.env_ptr.as_ptr())];
 	}
 }
 
 /// Gets a reference to the global environment, creating one if an environment has not been
 /// [`commit`](EnvironmentBuilder::commit)ted yet.
-pub fn get_environment() -> Result<&'static Arc<Environment>> {
-	if let Some(c) = unsafe { &*G_ENV.cell.get() } {
-		Ok(c)
+pub fn get_environment() -> Result<Arc<Environment>> {
+	let env = G_ENV.lock.read().expect("poisoned lock");
+	if let Some(env) = env.as_ref() {
+		Ok(Arc::clone(env))
 	} else {
-		debug!("Environment not yet initialized, creating a new one");
-		EnvironmentBuilder::new().commit()?;
+		// drop our read lock so we dont deadlock when `commit` takes a write lock
+		drop(env);
 
-		Ok(unsafe { (*G_ENV.cell.get()).as_ref().unwrap_unchecked() })
+		debug!("Environment not yet initialized, creating a new one");
+		Ok(EnvironmentBuilder::new().commit()?)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -151,12 +146,7 @@ impl EnvironmentBuilder {
 	}
 
 	/// Commit the environment configuration and set the global environment.
-	pub fn commit(self) -> Result<()> {
-		// drop global reference to previous environment
-		if let Some(env_arc) = unsafe { (*G_ENV.cell.get()).take() } {
-			drop(env_arc);
-		}
-
+	pub fn commit(self) -> Result<Arc<Environment>> {
 		let (env_ptr, has_global_threadpool) = if let Some(global_thread_pool) = self.global_thread_pool_options {
 			let mut env_ptr: *mut ort_sys::OrtEnv = std::ptr::null_mut();
 			let logging_function: ort_sys::OrtLoggingFunction = Some(custom_logger);
@@ -218,15 +208,20 @@ impl EnvironmentBuilder {
 			ortsys![unsafe DisableTelemetryEvents(env_ptr) -> Error::CreateEnvironment];
 		}
 
-		unsafe {
-			*G_ENV.cell.get() = Some(Arc::new(Environment {
-				execution_providers: self.execution_providers,
-				env_ptr: AtomicPtr::new(env_ptr),
-				has_global_threadpool
-			}));
-		};
-
-		Ok(())
+		let mut env_lock = G_ENV.lock.write().expect("poisoned lock");
+		// drop global reference to previous environment
+		if let Some(env_arc) = env_lock.take() {
+			drop(env_arc);
+		}
+		let env = Arc::new(Environment {
+			execution_providers: self.execution_providers,
+			// we already asserted the env pointer is non-null in the `CreateEnvWithCustomLogger` call
+			env_ptr: unsafe { NonNull::new_unchecked(env_ptr) },
+			has_global_threadpool
+		});
+		env_lock.replace(Arc::clone(&env));
+
+		Ok(env)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -316,16 +311,11 @@ mod tests {
 	use super::*;
 
 	fn is_env_initialized() -> bool {
-		unsafe { (*G_ENV.cell.get()).as_ref() }.is_some()
-			&& !unsafe { (*G_ENV.cell.get()).as_ref() }
-				.unwrap_or_else(|| unreachable!())
-				.env_ptr
-				.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
-				.is_null()
+		G_ENV.lock.read().expect("poisoned lock").is_some()
 	}
 
 	fn env_ptr() -> Option<*mut ort_sys::OrtEnv> {
-		unsafe { (*G_ENV.cell.get()).as_ref() }.map(|f| f.env_ptr.load(Ordering::Relaxed))
+		(*G_ENV.lock.read().expect("poisoned lock")).as_ref().map(|f| f.env_ptr.as_ptr())
 	}
 
 	struct ConcurrentTestRun {
diff --git a/src/session/builder.rs b/src/session/builder.rs
index f650db54..2fa02fc1 100644
--- a/src/session/builder.rs
+++ b/src/session/builder.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ use std::{
 	path::Path,
 	ptr::{self, NonNull},
 	rc::Rc,
-	sync::{atomic::Ordering, Arc}
+	sync::Arc
 };
 
 use super::{dangerous, InMemorySession, Input, Output, Session, SharedSessionInner};
@@ -312,10 +312,8 @@ impl SessionBuilder {
 			ortsys![unsafe DisablePerSessionThreads(self.session_options_ptr.as_ptr()) -> Error::CreateSessionOptions];
 		}
 
-		let env_ptr = env.env_ptr.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
-
 		let mut session_ptr: *mut ort_sys::OrtSession = std::ptr::null_mut();
-		ortsys![unsafe CreateSession(env_ptr, model_path.as_ptr(), self.session_options_ptr.as_ptr(), &mut session_ptr) -> Error::CreateSession; nonNull(session_ptr)];
+		ortsys![unsafe CreateSession(env.env_ptr.as_ptr(), model_path.as_ptr(), self.session_options_ptr.as_ptr(), &mut session_ptr) -> Error::CreateSession; nonNull(session_ptr)];
 
 		let session_ptr = unsafe { NonNull::new_unchecked(session_ptr) };
 
@@ -348,7 +346,7 @@ impl SessionBuilder {
 				session_ptr,
 				allocator,
 				_extras: extras,
-				_environment: Arc::clone(env)
+				_environment: env
 			}),
 			inputs,
 			outputs
@@ -389,12 +387,10 @@ impl SessionBuilder {
 			ortsys![unsafe DisablePerSessionThreads(self.session_options_ptr.as_ptr()) -> Error::CreateSessionOptions];
 		}
 
-		let env_ptr = env.env_ptr.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
-
 		let model_data = model_bytes.as_ptr().cast::<std::ffi::c_void>();
 		let model_data_length = model_bytes.len();
 		ortsys![
-			unsafe CreateSessionFromArray(env_ptr, model_data, model_data_length as _, self.session_options_ptr.as_ptr(), &mut session_ptr) -> Error::CreateSession;
+			unsafe CreateSessionFromArray(env.env_ptr.as_ptr(), model_data, model_data_length as _, self.session_options_ptr.as_ptr(), &mut session_ptr) -> Error::CreateSession;
 			nonNull(session_ptr)
 		];
 
@@ -429,7 +425,7 @@ impl SessionBuilder {
 				session_ptr,
 				allocator,
 				_extras: extras,
-				_environment: Arc::clone(env)
+				_environment: env
 			}),
 			inputs,
 			outputs