From Crisis to Sustainability: Rethinking Emergency Management in an Era of Compounding Risks
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Hazards and Sustainability".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 60
Special Issue Editor
Interests: disaster management; operational continuity; disaster behavior
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In an era marked by escalating climate crises, resource insecurity, and deepening social inequality, traditional approaches to disaster management are proving increasingly insufficient. As global challenges intensify—climate change accelerates, ecosystems degrade and socioeconomic pressures mount—emergency management must evolve beyond reactive strategies toward approaches that foster long-term resilience and advance sustainable development. This Special Issue explores the critical intersection between emergency management and sustainability, advocating for a fundamental paradigm shift that embeds sustainability principles into every phase of disaster risk reduction, response, and recovery. We seek interdisciplinary contributions that reimagine how emergency systems can not only address immediate threats but also serve as catalysts for broader sustainability transitions. We welcome theoretical frameworks, methodological innovations, and empirical studies that bridge urgent disaster response with long-term sustainable outcomes. Topics of interest include governance innovations for managing cascading and compounding risks, the development of metrics that capture both immediate and future impacts, the co-production of knowledge between affected communities and practitioners, and the ethical dilemmas of balancing short-term action with long-term sustainability goals. From environmental-based solutions and renewable energy integration to equitable recovery planning and circular economy approaches, this Special Issue aims to illuminate transformative pathways that turn crises into opportunities for sustainable development. It will contribute to sustainability and disaster management research and practice by developing and applying sustainability tools and metrics relevant to emergency and crisis contexts (e.g., for infrastructure, recovery, and energy systems), promoting interdisciplinary research that links risk, resilience, and sustainability science. Further, it will explore governance models and policies that support sustainability transitions under conditions of crisis and uncertainty. In addition, this Special Issue will suggest new ways of quantifying and monitoring sustainability in emergency systems, including frameworks to assess the long-term impacts of short-term interventions.
Dr. Carmit Rapaport
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- disaster risk reduction (DRR)
- sustainable development
- emergency management
- climate resilience
- sustainable infrastructure
- urban and regional planning
- cascading disasters
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
