Calls for papers

 

International Journal of Environment and Pollution

 

Special Issue on: "The Viability of Renewable Energies: Regional Considerations"

Guest Editors: Dr Colin Vance, Dr Manuel Frondel and Dr Harald Tauchmann, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (RWI Essen), Germany

The rapid evolution of renewable energy technologies is said to hold great potential for meeting one of the most pressing challenges confronting the 21st century: the attainment of energy security via environmentally benign production methods. But with an increasing number of countries – including Brazil, China, Germany and the United States – launching ambitious programs and landmark legislation to increase the output of renewable energies, the debate concerning the economic, environmental and energy benefits remains highly contentious. Aside from the fundamental question of whether the manufacture of renewables requires more nonrenewable energy than the resulting fuel provides, additional questions pertaining to sustainability and regional development have yet to be resolved.

The aim of this special issue is to martial evidence on the regional environmental and economic impacts associated with a large-scale shift to renewable energy production. Submissions employing approaches that use policy-relevant metrics drawn from both the environmental and social sciences are especially encouraged.

Subject Coverage
Suitable questions to address include but are not limited to:

• What are the local (as opposed to global) environmental impacts of renewable energy production and usage with respect to air pollution and soil quality as well as biodiversity?
• What are the limits to increasing renewable energy use given existing infrastructure and the spatial distribution of supply and demand?
• How could a shift to renewable energy production disrupt regional economic systems, leading, for example, to rising food prices and conflicts between industries competing for arable land?
• What ecosystem goods and services are potentially compromised by renewable energy production and how can these be valued?

Methodological techniques may include, but are not limited to:

• Cost-benefit analysis
• Spatial econometrics
• Computable general equilibrium models
• Agent based models
• Life cycle assessments

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere

All papers are refereed through a peer review process. A guide for authors, sample copies and other relevant information for submitting papers are available on the Author Guidelines page

Important Dates

Manuscript submission : 1 September 2007

Notification of acceptance : 1 December 2007

Revised manuscript submission : 1 February 2008

Notification of acceptance : 1 March 2008

Final paper : 1 April, 2008