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Sustainability in Carbon Emissions, Carbon Pricing and Trading, and Carbon Neutrality

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 29 August 2026 | Viewed by 1571

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute of Business Intelligence and Innovation, Chihlee University of Technology, New Taipei City 220305, Taiwan
Interests: carbon trading analysis; carbon asset management; international trade and finance; financial management; investment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce a new Special Issue of the journal Sustainability entitled “Sustainability in Carbon Emissions, Carbon Pricing and Trading, and Carbon Neutrality”; this journal is indexed in the prestigious Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) databases. This Special Issue aims to provide an in-depth exploration of issues related to carbon emissions, carbon pricing, trading mechanisms, and the broader concept of carbon neutrality, all of which are integral to the global pursuit of sustainability and the achievement of climate targets.

The key terms explored in this Special Issue—carbon emissions, carbon pricing and trading, and carbon neutrality—highlight the necessity of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Net zero, as defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), refers to goal of balancing greenhouse gas emissions with their removal from the atmosphere, in order to limit the global rise in temperature to no more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Achieving net zero is considered essential to mitigating the worst impacts of climate change and ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.

Net zero represents a state of equilibrium in which the volume of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere is counterbalanced by the volume removed, either through natural processes or technological solutions. Carbon emissions play a pivotal role in this equation, acting as a significant source of greenhouse gases that must be reduced in order to attain net zero. Carbon neutrality, as a guiding principle, is closely tied to the goal of net zero, offering a framework for reducing and offsetting emissions across various sectors. In this context, carbon pricing and trading mechanisms are vital tools that can help drive emission reductions by placing a price on carbon and incentivizing businesses and governments to take action.

This Special Issue of the journal Sustainability welcomes the submission of original research articles and critical reviews on topics related to these key themes, particularly those that offer novel insights into strategies, policies, and technologies that contribute to the realization of a sustainable, low-carbon future. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

  • Carbon Emissions;
  • Carbon Pricing;
  • Carbon Trading;
  • Carbon Neutrality;
  • Carbon Finance;
  • Emission Trading System;
  • Net Zero;
  • Sustainability;
  • Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

Prof. Dr. Ming-Chung Chang
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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

  • carbon dioxide
  • carbon emissions
  • carbon pricing
  • carbon trading
  • carbon neutrality
  • carbon finance
  • emission trading system
  • net zero
  • sustainability
  • carbon border adjustment mechanism

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

23 pages, 1727 KB  
Article
China’s Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme Improved the Land Surface Ecological Quality
by Diwei Zheng and Daxin Dong
Sustainability 2026, 18(2), 616; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18020616 - 7 Jan 2026
Viewed by 528
Abstract
The previous studies have suggested that the cap-and-trade carbon emissions trading scheme (ETS) was effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric pollution. Are there other environmental benefits of this policy? This research question remains unanswered in the literature. Our study reports that [...] Read more.
The previous studies have suggested that the cap-and-trade carbon emissions trading scheme (ETS) was effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric pollution. Are there other environmental benefits of this policy? This research question remains unanswered in the literature. Our study reports that China’s carbon ETS significantly improved the land surface ecological quality (LSEQ). The study analyzes the data of 328 Chinese cities during 2005–2020. A difference-in-differences (DID) regression model is used for quantitative policy evaluation. The land surface ecological quality is measured by a synthetic indicator of the remote sensing ecological index (RSEI). There are three main findings. (1) On average, the carbon ETS improved the land surface ecological quality index by 0.0113, which contributed 51% of the ecological quality improvement in ETS-implementing regions in the post-policy period. The positive effect of the policy increased over time. (2) The implementation of the carbon ETS reduced pollution emissions, promoted green innovation, and expanded the share of land with natural vegetation coverage. These phenomena provide explanations for why the policy improved the land surface ecological quality. (3) The policy effect exhibited some heterogeneities contingent on local climatic conditions. The effect was stronger in regions with more precipitation, shorter sunlight duration, and higher temperature. Full article
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