Deadline for manuscript submissions: June 30, 2026

Special Issue Editors

Assoc. Prof. Kai Wu Website  E-Mail: wukai8759@cufe.edu.cn

School of Finance, Central University of Finance and Economics, China
Interests: Empirical corporate finance; climate finance; innovation; risk management

Dr. Jinxin Cui Website  E-Mail: jinxincui2022@mail.zjgsu.edu.cn

Zhejiang Gongshang University, China
Interests: Financial risk management; energy and climate finance; financial econometrics

Dr. Emad Kazemzadeh Website  E-Mail: emad.kazemzadeh67@mail.um.ac.ir

Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran
Interests: Environmental economics; energy economics; climate finance; green innovation; sustainable development; ecological footprint

Special Issue Information

 Dear colleagues,

As global climate challenges intensify, climate finance and sustainable development have become crucial drivers for achieving carbon neutrality goals. This Special Issue focuses on "Climate Finance and Sustainable Development: Green Transition and Innovation under Carbon Neutrality Goals," exploring how financial mechanisms can support low-carbon transitions and promote sustainable development. The urgent need to limit global warming to 1.5°C requires unprecedented mobilization of capital toward climate-resilient investments across all economic sectors. Financial institutions, policymakers, corporations, investors, and multilateral development banks face the complex task of realigning capital flows with sustainability objectives while ensuring economic stability. The growing integration of climate considerations into financial decision-making represents a fundamental shift in how markets operate, creating both challenges and opportunities. This transformation demands innovative financial instruments, robust risk assessment methodologies, and collaborative governance frameworks (e.g. public-private partnerships) that can effectively channel investments toward green technologies, infrastructure, and business models that enable genuine progress toward carbon neutrality. We particularly welcome contributions in the following areas:

• Impact of carbon neutrality policies on green finance development
• Climate risk pricing and investment decision-making
• Financial innovations for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Green bonds, carbon trading, and climate finance mechanisms and instruments
• Energy transition financing mechanisms
• ESG investments and climate risk disclosure
• Sustainable supply chain finance
• Financial support for green technology innovation
• Climate adaptation financing in developing countries
• Financial regulations and international cooperation under carbon neutrality goals
• Climate Finance Innovation and Technology
• Climate Finance Policy and Governance
• Renewable energy and energy efficiency project financing strategies
• Green infrastructure investments and their impact on sustainable cities
• Other related topics

This Special Issue welcomes diverse research contributions, including empirical studies, theoretical models, and literature reviews. We especially encourage collaborations between academia and practitioners to propose practical solutions exploring how financial innovations can drive global green transitions and sustainable development.

Guest Editors

Assoc. Prof. Kai Wu
Dr. Jinxin Cui
Dr. Emad Kazemzadeh

Keywords

Climate finance; sustainable development; green innovation; carbon neutrality; green bonds; renewable energy investment; environmental policy; financial sustainability; ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing; climate risk management; sustainable financial markets; green transition; carbon pricing; climate adaptation and mitigation; green investment; ESG investment; energy transition; fintech

Published Papers