Navigating Socioeconomic Complexities in the Global Energy Transition

This Research Topic is initiated in conjunction with the Third ISETS International Conference (Tokyo, 2025), organized by the International Society for Energy Transition Studies. The accelerating global transition toward carbon neutrality represents a profound anthropogenic intervention in Earth's systems that requires innovative environmental governance and adaptive socio-ecological approaches. As nations implement energy transition pathways, policymakers face complex trade-offs between environmental sustainability, ecosystem health, and human welfare. The deployment of renewable energy technologies fundamentally alters land use dynamics and ecosystem services while creating opportunities for environmental restoration. This special issue explores governance frameworks, policy mechanisms, and adaptive management strategies that effectively navigate the environmental challenges of decarbonization. We invite multidisciplinary contributions addressing energy transitions across diverse socio-ecological contexts to advance both scientific understanding and practical implementation of environmentally sustainable energy futures.

This Research Topic aims to advance understanding of the environmental dimensions and governance challenges in the global transition toward carbon neutrality, directly supporting SDGs 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and 13 (Climate Action). Specifically, we seek to: (1) identify innovative environmental governance frameworks that effectively balance decarbonization goals with ecosystem health; (2) evaluate the ecological impacts of renewable energy deployment across diverse biogeographical contexts; (3) analyze the environmental justice dimensions of energy transitions on vulnerable ecosystems and communities; (4) explore the role of technological innovation in minimizing environmental degradation throughout decarbonization pathways; and (5) develop integrative approaches to energy-environmental policy that incorporate ecological constraints, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience. By bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives from environmental science, climate studies, ecological economics, and environmental management, this special issue—enriched by insights from the ISETS Conference—will provide evidence-based guidance for stakeholders navigating the complex environmental transformations required for sustainable energy transitions in both developed and emerging economies.

We welcome theoretical, empirical, and policy-oriented studies employing diverse methodologies including environmental impact assessment, remote sensing, ecosystem service valuation, and interdisciplinary climate modeling. Particularly relevant are contributions that explore:
• Environmental governance frameworks for managing ecological impacts of energy transitions
• Land use dynamics and biodiversity implications of renewable energy infrastructure
• Climate-energy feedback systems in transitioning socio-ecological contexts

Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:
• Environmental co-benefits of decarbonization strategies
• Ecosystem restoration opportunities in post-carbon energy landscapes
• Environmental justice dimensions of energy transition policies
• Climate resilience in renewable energy systems
• Soil and water impacts of clean energy technologies
• Environmental monitoring frameworks for transition pathway assessment
• Cross-sectoral environmental policy integration for carbon neutrality
• Ecosystem-based approaches to energy transition planning

This Research Topic welcomes submissions from participants of the Third ISETS International Conference as well as the broader environmental science community.

Submissions to Frontiers in Environmental Science are only in scope if they address environmental challenges or impacts related to energy transitions. Purely technical, economic or social science papers are only eligible if they demonstrate a substantive environmental science contribution, such as new analysis of environmental impacts, system responses, or advances in environmental monitoring, restoration, or ecosystem management in the context of energy transition.
For review submissions, papers must clearly follow systematic review or meta-analysis standards, including explicit research questions, selection criteria, and transparent methodology.