Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.5
3.2
Journals
Energies
Special Issues
Sustainability Transformations in the Energy, Water and Agri-Food Sectors
energies-logo
Submit to Energies Review for Energies Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Sustainability Transformations in the Energy, Water and Agri-Food Sectors

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "B: Energy and Environment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2022) | Viewed by 8150

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Elina Dace

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Sustainable Transitions Modeling Group, Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Latvia, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia
Interests: sustainable transitions modeling; waste management and valorization; biotechnology; greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonization; climate and waste management policy
Dr. Jelena Ziemele

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Computational Systems Biology Group, Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Latvia, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004 Riga, Latvia
Interests: energy systems; environmental engineering; sustainable development; energy systems analysis and modeling

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit your paper to the Special Issue of Energies dedicated to “Sustainability Transformations in the Energy, Water, and Agri-Food Sectors”.

Tackling climate change, which is closely linked to the sustainable development of our societies, requires large-scale, systemic, and long-term change in all sectors and emphasizes a number of interrelated issues:

  • Transition from fossil to renewable energy that will be included in smart energy systems;
  • Interlinkages of resources as water, energy, and land, and resilient production of food;
  • Implementation of the circular economy approach to reduce waste keeping products and materials at the highest value at all times and extracting all possible byproducts from resources, reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions;
  • Enhanced sustainable competitiveness by implementing low-carbon economy solutions;
  • Rapid developments in IT and digitalization providing access to data and delivering data-driven solutions; and
  • Discourses, narratives, and frames used to communicate climate change, support sustainability transitions, and achieve social engagement in the changing political, economic, and environmental contexts.

The aim of this Special Issue is to discuss relevant studies on the topics formulated above to observe and highlight trends, drivers, and challenges for sustainable transformations in the energy generation and supply, water and wastewater management, agriculture, and food supply sectors, as well as at the cross-sectoral level. Original research papers presenting theoretical insights and/or empirical analyses related to environmental, economic, social, and technical dimensions of sustainability transitions and transformations are welcome. Submissions employing quantitative methods or qualitative analyses, as well as review articles are strongly encouraged.

Dr. Elina Dace
Dr. Jelena Ziemele
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.

Keywords

  • Sustainable transition
  • Systemic transition
  • Positive energy district
  • Demand flexibility and storage optimization
  • Decarbonization
  • Zero-emission transition
  • Sector coupling
  • Water–energy–food nexus
  • Water–energy–food–land–climate nexus
  • Nexus policy
  • Smart system
  • Circular business models
  • Resilience
  • Governance
  • Social engagement
  • Social norm
  • Consumer behavior
  • Discourse
  • Narrative
  • Frame
  • Climate policy

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

26 pages, 1075 KiB  
Article
Reflection of the EU Climate Policy Strategic Narrative in the Programmes of Latvian Political Parties—External Convergence and Influence on Shaping Public Opinion
by Lelde Metla-Rozentāle, Vineta Kleinberga, Kristiāna Žaunerčika and Andris Sprūds
Energies 2022, 15(9), 3049; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15093049 - 21 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1188
Abstract
Climate change, as well as the challenges that come with it, is one of the main issues in international and national politics today. Addressing the threats posed by climate change requires close cooperation at the international level and within each country, creating a [...] Read more.
Climate change, as well as the challenges that come with it, is one of the main issues in international and national politics today. Addressing the threats posed by climate change requires close cooperation at the international level and within each country, creating a dialogue between the political elite and society, thus promoting a common understanding and action across the European Union (EU). The aim of this research is to (1) identify what climate policy narratives are projected to the Latvian electorate (public) and (2) assess how these narratives are aligned with the EU-defined strategic climate policy narrative. The theoretical basis and methodological approach of the study is based on the concept of strategic narrative. It is assumed that the viability and impact of a strategic narrative is enhanced when there is coherence between all stages of the narrative life cycle (i.e., the EU level and the national policy level). The empirical basis of the study is based on the identification of the EU climate policy narrative in the sector’s regulatory documents, as well as an analysis of the election programmes of Latvian political parties (the last European Parliament (2019) and parliamentary (2018) election programmes). The results show that the narrative that the Latvian public receives from its political elite through the European Parliament and the national pre-election programmes is significantly different from the EU strategic narrative on climate policy. Based on the theoretical concept of strategic narrative, it can be concluded that the observed dissimilarity of narratives does not stimulate the inclusion of the Latvian public in the common EU space of climate policy understanding and action. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Transformations in the Energy, Water and Agri-Food Sectors)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 2141 KiB  
Article
A Comparison of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Methods for Sustainability Assessment of District Heating Systems
by Janis Edmunds Daugavietis, Raimonda Soloha, Elina Dace and Jelena Ziemele
Energies 2022, 15(7), 2411; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15072411 - 25 Mar 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2035
Abstract
The sustainability of energy systems is increasingly assessed for development of more resilient, greener district heating (DH) systems. That requires compiling technological, environmental, and economic indicators in a social, political, and institutional context. This work investigates DH system sustainability analysis by five frequently [...] Read more.
The sustainability of energy systems is increasingly assessed for development of more resilient, greener district heating (DH) systems. That requires compiling technological, environmental, and economic indicators in a social, political, and institutional context. This work investigates DH system sustainability analysis by five frequently applied multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods—WSM, TOPSIS, PROMETHEE, ELECTRE and DEA. To compare the sustainability assessment results, a selection of 8 criteria describing 12 DH companies (DHC) was examined. Sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the most credible MCDA method. Criteria weights were changed: (1) individually for evaluation of the range of stability for alternatives (score of DHC performance); (2) individually by a fixed value to compare how each criterion weight change affected the average score of a result; and (3) to compare the AHP weighting method to an equal weight scenario. The results of sensitivity analysis along with literature investigation shows that all methods are suitable for sustainability analyses of DH systems while also having differences in the calculation process and in the interpretation of results. The generalized algorithm for sustainability analysis in the energy sector outlined in this study along with the documented features of the main MCDA methods can be used as a guide for future assessment of energy systems by researchers and industry professionals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Transformations in the Energy, Water and Agri-Food Sectors)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1112 KiB  
Article
Impact of Agriculture and Energy on CO2 Emissions in Zambia
by Joseph Phiri, Karel Malec, Alpo Kapuka, Mansoor Maitah, Seth Nana Kwame Appiah-Kubi, Zdeňka Gebeltová, Mwila Bowa and Kamil Maitah
Energies 2021, 14(24), 8339; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14248339 - 10 Dec 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4359
Abstract
The world has experienced increased impacts of anthropogenic global warming due to increased emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), which include carbon dioxide (CO2). Anthropogenic activities that contribute to CO2 emissions include deforestation, usage of fertilizers, and activities related to mining [...] Read more.
The world has experienced increased impacts of anthropogenic global warming due to increased emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), which include carbon dioxide (CO2). Anthropogenic activities that contribute to CO2 emissions include deforestation, usage of fertilizers, and activities related to mining and energy production. The main objective of this paper was to assess the impacts of agriculture and energy production on CO2 emissions in Zambia. This research used econometric analysis, specifically the Autoregressive-Distributed Lag (ARDL) Bounds Test, to analyze the relationship between CO2 emissions and GDP, electricity consumption, agricultural production, and industry value added. The results showed the presence of cointegration, where the variables of CO2 emissions, GDP, electricity, and agriculture converge to a long-run equilibrium at the rate of 74%. Further, there was a short-run causality towards CO2 emissions running from agriculture and the consumption of energy as indicated by the Wald test. This is the first study of its kind that empirically shows the impact of agricultural activities and energy consumption on the Zambian environment through their contribution to CO2 emissions at a macro (country) level. This paper also presents recommendations that are pertinent to mitigate these effects. To deescalate environmental degradation, we propose increasing the number of access points for multiple renewable energy sources across the country; discouraging deforestation, the usage of conventional fertilizers, and the burning of vegetation for fertilizers; encouraging afforestation and reforestation, in addition to providing subsidies, training, and financial support to farmers and entrepreneurs who decide to use environmentally friendly agricultural methods and renewable energy. This research highlights the serious impacts of anthropogenic activities on CO2 emissions. The study was intended to assist Zambian policymakers in formulating and implementing environmentally friendly policy measures or systems that will contribute towards environmental protection commitments and sustainable economic development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Transformations in the Energy, Water and Agri-Food Sectors)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop