Editor-in-Chief’s Note
Air pollution and its consequences for health and medical expenditures, the rising emission of greenhouse gases and their transboundary and interprovincial spillovers, mounting pressure on water resources, the dependence of agricultural production on fossil fuels, and the difficulty of carbon management within supply chains are among the challenges that bring the nexus between the economy and the environment into ever sharper relief. Responding to these issues requires policies that simultaneously account for the economic and environmental consequences of decisions, rest on reliable data, and enhance the capacity of institutions and firms to manage resources sustainably.
The research articles in this issue of the Journal of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, by addressing various dimensions of these challenges, provide part of the evidence and instruments needed for such policymaking. A study on OPEC+ member countries examines the relationship between air pollution and rising health expenditures, emphasizing the importance of controlling pollutants and attending to their implications for the healthcare system. The study of carbon dioxide emissions across Iran’s provinces, employing a spatial econometric approach, reveals the existence of spillovers among provinces, a finding that underscores the need to consider spatial linkages in designing emission-reduction policies.
In the domain of resource governance, one article examines the role of integrating water accounting with systems thinking and demonstrates that combining precise data with the analysis of complex relationships and feedbacks can contribute to transparency, institutional coordination, and more sustainable decision-making regarding water resources. Another article, reviewing carbon accounting management in the production supply chain, assesses the capacity of this approach to identify key emission hotspots and improve firms’ environmental accountability, while noting limitations such as data scarcity and the absence of integrated standards.
This issue also addresses two further applied domains: the use of clean energy in agricultural greenhouses as a means of reducing dependence on fossil fuels and supporting production sustainability; and the role of modern financial technologies in the environmental and financial performance of the Waste Management Organization of Mashhad Municipality, with emphasis on the mediating role of corporate social responsibility measures. These studies show that environmental solutions are not confined to technology or regulation but also depend on financial, managerial, and institutional mechanisms.
Taken together, these six articles indicate that the transition to sustainable patterns requires, above all, precise data, transparent accounting frameworks, intelligent economic instruments, and accountable institutions. The fundamental significance of this research lies in its analysis of environmental problems not as isolated phenomena but as embedded within macroeconomic processes, public health, agricultural and industrial production patterns, urban waste management, supply chains, and the governance of foundational resources. Such an approach demonstrates that challenges such as pollution, energy imbalances, and resource crises have deep economic roots and consequences, and that resolving them requires intervention in market structures, national accounting systems, and modern financial and managerial instruments.
The findings of this issue can offer instrumental guidance for identifying policy priorities, optimizing public and private-sector decision-making, and designing home-grown solutions adapted to Iran’s economic realities, solutions that, on the one hand, reduce the hidden social and environmental costs of economic activities and, on the other, enhance the productivity and resilience of the economic system in the face of crises. It is hoped that the publication of this collection, while filling some existing research gaps, will pave the way for more applied research and further strengthen evidence-based policymaking in the field of environmental and natural resource economics in the country. In conclusion, I extend my sincere gratitude to all authors, esteemed reviewers, and respected members of the editorial board for their valuable efforts in preparing this issue and enhancing its scientific quality.