Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy: 2nd Edition

Dear Colleagues,

A global consensus has been reached on the need to achieve sustainable development, as was emphasized through the recent adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Recent advances in environmental economics have developed alongside deep ambitions for achieving sustainability and optimality. Sustainability policy underpins efforts to improve the relationship between sustained growth and environmental protection; however, addressing the complex dynamics and non-linear relationships between human activities, environmental changes, and sustainability capacity is pivotal for policy design and requires the appropriate tools. This Special Issue aims to highlight contributions focusing on the systematic analysis of environmental issues, with significant emphasis on sustainable development that reduces policy gaps. Integrated modeling for environmental assessment and policy simulation is expected to improve understanding of the mechanisms of sustainable economic effectiveness, regarding multi-scale, multi-region, multi-sector, multi-agent, and multi-resource factors. Consequently, there is significant interest in the circular economy as a way of overcoming current production and consumption patterns and attaining a more balanced interplay of environmental and economic systems. Various models and methods complement each other, with bottom-up, top-down and/or mixed perspectives, such as input–output models, general equilibrium and partial equilibrium models, agent-based models, and system dynamics models. Footprint and life cycle assessments and material flow analyses are also encouraged to target clear and specific scientific questions.

Case studies on special areas with fragile ecological environments, such as the Tibetan Plateau, are also welcomed to explore paths toward sustainable development with multi-objective optimization strategies, including regional coordination, low-carbon production, the energy transition, new energy development, green technology progress, and so forth. In addition, the effective development and utilization of biomass energy can provide a great deal of clean energy, which is significant for improving regional ecological environment quality and promoting healthy regional development. Strengthening research on the coupling mechanisms linking biomass energy utilization with optimal allocation across different regions can help derive comprehensive strategies aiming to alleviate the dual pressures of energy and environment and is, therefore, urgently needed. Moreover, the construction of national key ecological function zones (NKEFZs) is an important means of balancing economic development and environmental protection. The Nature Conservancy’s Global Terrestrial Ecoregional Zoning Program has been widely accepted and provides guidance for global and regional ecological conservation that determines geographic priorities that encompass biodiversity, environmental and sociopolitical conditions by setting reasonable and flexible ecological boundaries. The construction of NKEFZs is a necessary step toward achieving sustainable development and promoting the construction of an ecological civilization.

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

• Environmental modeling and sustainability policy simulation;
• Sustainable development paths with multi-objective optimization strategies;
• Integrated environmental assessment for sustainability and optimality;
• Environmental assessment, protection, and livelihood improvement;
• Resource nexuses, efficiency, and carrying capacity toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
• Regional industrial development with improvements pertaining to the circular economy;
• Coupling mechanisms linking biomass energy utilization with optimal resource allocation;
• Green and sustainable development in areas with a fragile ecological environment, such as the Tibetan Plateau;
• Protection, sustainability, and transformation of ecological functional zones.

We are grateful for the support from the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (STEP), Grant No. 2019QZKK1003; the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Grant No. XDA19040102; and the Forum for Distinguished Young Scholars in Resource and Environmental Management held by the Resource Economics Committee, China Society of Nature Resources (http://www.csnr.org.cn/index.html).

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Shuai Zhong
Prof. Dr. Ayman Elshkaki
Prof. Dr. Jingjing Yan
Dr. Qiushi Qu
Guest Editors

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• sustainability policy
• environmental assessment
• resource efficiency
• circular economy
• biomass energy utilization
• ecological functional zones
• modeling
• simulation
• optimization

• Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy in Sustainability (11 articles)