Advancing Sustainable Energy Transitions: Economic, Environmental, and Policy Perspectives

Dear Colleagues,

Scope and Purpose

The global transition toward sustainable energy systems necessitates a re-examination of the interplay between energy use, environmental quality and economic development. As climate change accelerates and inequalities widen, countries must decarbonize while preserving economic growth, job creation and social cohesion. Energy and climate challenges—from fossil fuel dependence and energy insecurity to air pollution and ecosystem degradation—demand careful economic and policy analysis.

A systems approach to sustainable energy transitions and environmental economics is needed to understand the interdependencies among energy resources, technological change, institutions and distributional outcomes. Digital transformation presents powerful opportunities to redesign energy systems and enhance efficiency, but it also raises new questions about access, governance and inequality. These dynamics are inherently place-based: successful transitions depend on local development pathways, territorial disparities and context-specific institutional capacities. As climate risks intensify, economic frameworks that internalize environmental externalities, recognize planetary boundaries and embed equity and intergenerational justice are vital for steering decision-making toward sustainable, low-carbon outcomes. This Special Issue addresses these needs by bringing together research on the economic, governance and justice dimensions of sustainable energy transitions. The aim of this Special Issue is to advance theoretical, empirical and policy-oriented work at the intersection of sustainable energy transitions, environmental economics and public policy. A core objective is to promote analytical approaches that integrate environmental limits, social inclusion, digital transformation and long-term sustainability into energy- and climate-related decision-making.

The Special Issue aligns with Sustainability’s mission to publish interdisciplinary research on urgent sustainability challenges. It links energy and environmental economics to broader questions of sustainable development, examining how economic instruments, regulatory frameworks and policies, as well as governance innovations, can accelerate sustainable energy transitions. The study also explores the distributional, justice and resilience dimensions of the energy–environment–economy nexus. Drawing on evidence-based insights, it seeks to provide policymakers, regulators, businesses and civil society with actionable recommendations. The Special Issue directly contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). The Special Issue also emphasizes local and territorial dimensions of sustainable development, including how place-based policies and localized energy systems can support inclusive and resilient transitions.

Suggested themes include, but are not limited to:

1. Economics of Sustainable Energy Transitions: Decarbonization pathways and energy-mix choices; energy efficiency and demand-side measures; climate risk, uncertainty and intergenerational equity in energy-economy models.
2. Policy innovation for energy and environmental governance: Carbon pricing, energy taxation and subsidy reform; market-based and hybrid instruments, including green budgeting and tradable permits; and international coordination of energy and environmental regulation.
3. Justice, localization and climate resilience in energy transitions: Distributional impacts of policies, energy and environmental inequality and poverty, place-based approaches and local value chains, energy justice and security and just transition strategies for workers and communities.
4. Finance, investment and innovation for the energy transition: Green and climate finance; risk-sharing and blended finance mechanisms; innovation systems and industrial policy for clean energy; and the roles of development banks, sovereign wealth funds, private capital and Industry 4.0 technologies in enabling low-carbon systems.
5. Methods and metrics for analyzing the energy–environment–economy nexus: Integrated assessment models, macro and input–output approaches, indicators for energy transitions and net-zero pathways and data, monitoring, evaluation and digital analytics for modelling the nexus.

Prof. Dr. Suzanna El Massah
Dr. Leonard Chirenje
Dr. Mohammad Alalaween
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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