Energy Transition, Environmental Governance, and Household Welfare for Sustainable Energy Systems

The global transition toward sustainable energy systems is not solely a technological challenge, but increasingly a matter of effective governance, policy design, and socio-economic adaptation. As countries accelerate efforts to decarbonize energy systems, the interactions between energy transition pathways, environmental governance frameworks, and household welfare outcomes have become critically important.This Research Topic aims to explore how environmental policies, regulatory instruments, and governance mechanisms shape the direction, efficiency, and equity of energy transitions. In particular, it focuses on the ways in which policy interventions—such as carbon pricing, energy subsidies, market reforms, and climate regulations—affect household welfare, including energy affordability, energy poverty, income distribution, and social equity.We welcome contributions that investigate multi-level governance structures (local, national, and global), institutional arrangements, and policy coordination strategies that enable a just and inclusive energy transition. Special attention is given to the distributional impacts of environmental policies, behavioral responses of households, and the role of governance in mitigating unintended socio-economic consequences.This Research Topic encourages interdisciplinary approaches that bridge environmental science, energy economics, public policy, and social sciences. By integrating governance and policy perspectives into the analysis of energy systems, the collection seeks to provide actionable insights for policymakers, regulators, and stakeholders working toward sustainable, equitable, and resilient energy futures.Submissions may include, but are not limited to:• Environmental policy design for energy transition• Governance mechanisms for sustainable energy systems• Socio-economic and distributional impacts of energy policies• Energy poverty, affordability, and household welfare• Carbon pricing, subsidies, and regulatory instruments• Institutional and multi-level governance in climate and energy policy• Behavioral responses to environmental and energy policies• Just transition and social equity considerations• Policy evaluation and impact assessment methods• Cross-country comparisons of governance and policy effectiveness Topic editors: Kui Liu, Zhili Du, Sunil Kumar Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79360/energy-transition-environmental-governance-and-household-welfare-for-sustainable-energy-systems