Sustainability in Economics: Environmental Economics and Resource Economics

Dear Colleagues,

Modern economics increasingly incorporates challenges related to environmental degradation and the depletion of natural resources. Two key disciplines – environmental economics and resource economics – play a fundamental role in understanding and addressing these issues.

Environmental economics examines how economic activity affects the environment and how ecological damage can be minimized while maintaining economic growth. Today’s major challenges include effectively combating climate change, air and water pollution, biodiversity loss, and soil degradation. Environmental economics promotes market-based tools such as environmental taxes, emissions trading systems, and subsidies for green technologies to reduce negative externalities.

Resource economics focuses on managing limited natural resources in an efficient and equitable way over time. Increasingly important is the shift from extractive economic models to a circular economy, which minimizes waste and promotes the reuse of materials.

A growing challenge is the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels toward renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, and geothermal power. This requires modernizing energy infrastructure and ensuring stable supply while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In the face of global challenges like the climate crisis, resource depletion, and developmental inequalities, environmental and resource economics provide essential tools for designing policies that support sustainable development, social equity, and long-term ecological and economic stability.

The state plays a key role in this process by shaping regulations, tax systems, public investment, and innovation support—effectively steering ecological transformation and safeguarding the public interest over the long term.

Contemporary economics is increasingly integrating issues related to environmental protection and the sustainable management of natural resources. Ongoing environmental degradation, climate change, and the depletion of non-renewable resources constitute global challenges that demand new theoretical approaches and effective analytical and regulatory tools. In this context, two specialized fields of economics—environmental economics and resource economics—play a key role.

Environmental economics focuses on examining the impact of economic activity on the natural environment, as well as on analyzing instruments that help mitigate ecological damage while maintaining economic growth. Particular emphasis is placed on market-based regulatory mechanisms such as environmental taxes, emissions trading schemes, and subsidies that support the development of environmentally friendly technologies.

Resource economics concentrates on the efficient and equitable use of limited natural resources over the long term. Increasing attention is being paid to the transition from a linear economy model to a circular economy model, which minimizes material losses and promotes the reuse of raw materials.

In light of contemporary challenges—such as the energy transition, the need for decarbonization, and ensuring resource security—both disciplines offer important theoretical and practical foundations for supporting processes aimed at sustainable development and enhancing ecosystem resilience.

The aim of this Special Issue is to bring together the latest empirical research, theoretical analyses, and literature reviews addressing current issues and development directions in environmental and resource economics. The proposed issue aligns with the thematic scope of the journal, which promotes interdisciplinary research at the intersection of economics, public policy, and sustainable development.

We invite submissions of high scholarly quality that not only advance theoretical understanding but also offer practical insights relevant to the design of economic and environmental policies.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

• Market-based instruments in environmental policy (e.g., environmental taxes, emissions trading systems, green subsidies)
• Valuation of ecosystem services and natural capital
• Circular economy models and material efficiency
• Economics of energy transition and decarbonization
• Management of renewable and non-renewable resources in an intergenerational context
• Land use economics, sustainable agriculture, and soil protection
• Water economics and governance of common-pool resources
• Climate change adaptation and the cost analysis of climate policies
• Environmental justice and the distribution of ecological transition costs
• The role of the government in promoting environmental innovation and climate-related investment

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Anna Spoz
Dr. Aleš Trunk
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• environmental economics
• sustainable development
• climate change
• circular economy
• green innovation
• environmental policy
• energy transition
• public policy
• ecological economics
• resources economics