Energy, ecology and environment: a nexus perspective

Excerpt

The rising concern about a potential global energy crisis and its impact on the economy and environment calls for a transition from the current development paradigms to a sustainable one. Such transition poses a significant challenge for scientists, industries and governments requiring innovative policies to save energy and reduce environmental and social impacts considerably. Moreover, the transition towards a low-carbon future needs to be cognizant of the social, cultural and institutional as well as the biophysical and geographical context within which it takes place and also in synergies provided by ecosystem services and technological regimes developing nature-inspired production and consumption systems. There is already plenty of literature on these problems, along with an abundance of journals with disciplinary territories and sharp boundaries on the intellectual landscape. However, we need a problem-oriented forum, transcending disciplinary boundaries, for putting the pieces together for promoting informed discussions of an integrated vision of a sustainable world. …