New Challenges in Economic Development and Energy Policy

Dear Colleagues,

Energy production will play a key role as countries strive to enhance their economic growth. However, this pursuit of growth has come at a substantial environmental cost. Energy production, mainly from fossil fuels, has increased greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to air and water pollution, climate change, and ecological degradation. These unintended environmental consequences have emerged as a critical challenge that demands immediate attention. The effects have become increasingly significant barriers to achieving sustainable economic development. Sustainable development seeks to balance economic growth and environmental preservation and social well-being. However, mounting environmental challenges pose substantial obstacles to achieving this goal. They disrupt ecosystems, endanger public health, and exacerbate social inequalities. The rapid pace of urbanization and industrialization worldwide has exacerbated this predicament. In particular, urban areas contribute to high energy consumption and emissions and lead to localized environmental challenges, such as air pollution and habitat loss.

While driving economic growth, industrialization stresses natural resources and ecosystems. Therefore, these global trends have amplified the need for urgent action. Energy consumption has evolved into a cornerstone of modern economic growth. Industries, transportation, and households heavily rely on energy sources to function. Consequently, the relationship between fossil fuel-based energy consumption and economic development has grown stronger, making it vital to thoughtfully address this connection. Achieving a harmonious equilibrium between economic growth and environmental preservation is a formidable challenge. It requires policies and strategies that decouple economic development from resource-intensive practices. However, internal contradictions driven by short-term economic, rather than long-term sustainability, goals often hinder progress.

In response to these challenges, efforts are underway to transition toward a more sustainable and environmentally responsible energy system. This transition includes shifting from fossil fuel to renewable energy sources, improving energy efficiency, and implementing cleaner technologies. The goal is to reach carbon neutrality, where net greenhouse gases emissions are reduced to zero, by 2050. In sum, the intertwined issues of energy production, economic growth, and environmental impact are complex and pressing. Achieving sustainable economic development in the face of these challenges requires comprehensive and coordinated efforts, with a focus on transitioning to cleaner energy sources and reducing carbon emissions to combat climate change.

This Special Issue aims to collect theoretical and empirical papers focusing on the challenges surrounding green growth and energy consumption, with particular attention given to the energy transition. It will also encourage researchers worldwide to collaborate to develop more multifaceted research in this field.

Areas discussed in this Special Issue will include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Energy transition;
• The nexus between economic development and renewable generation;
• Government policies to support energy transition;
• Carbon neutrality;
• Social effects of the energy transition.

Articles selected for this Special Issue, titled “New Challenges in Economic Development and Energy Policy”, will be subject to a double-blind peer-review procedure to enable the rapid and wide dissemination of relevant research results.

We invite you to submit your original papers to this Special Issue on “New Challenges in Economic Development and Energy Policy” and look forward to receiving your outstanding research.

Dr. Giuseppe Scandurra
Dr. Alfonso Carfora
Guest Editors

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. Energies 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 2600 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.

• economic development
• energy transition
• sustainable growth
• renewable generation