Editorial: Opening the Sustainability Research in the Mediterranean

Abstract

The Mediterranean region has long been recognized as a cradle of civilization and a crossroads of cultures; yet today it
is also one of the most vulnerable areas to the impacts of climate change, environmental degradation, and socioeconomic
instability (Vardopoulos & Passas, 2025). Scientific assessments consistently describe the Mediterranean as a climate change
“hotspot”, with regional temperatures increasing approximately 20% faster than the global average (Vardopoulos et al.,
2024). Rising sea levels, biodiversity loss, and the intensification of extreme weather events, combined with pressures from
energy demand, migratory flows, and tourism dependency, generate complex challenges that require coordinated responses
(Salvati, 2025). At the same time, the region presents unique opportunities to serve as a living laboratory for sustainability‐
oriented innovation, particularly in renewable energy, circular economy models, sustainable tourism, and the preservation
of cultural heritage (Ciaschini & Imbrenda, 2025).
The launch of Sustainability Research in the Mediterranean responds to these realities by providing a scholarly platform
that integrates environmental, economic, and socio‐cultural perspectives. The journal aims to strengthen the link between
global debates on sustainability and the specific challenges and opportunities of the Mediterranean, advancing original,
interdisciplinary research that is internationally relevant. Its ambition is to foster dialogue among academics, policymakers,
practitioners, and local stakeholders, encouraging contributions that are theoretically robust, methodologically rigorous,
and practically oriented.
The scope of the journal encompasses a broad range of issues that shape the region's future. Urban resilience, renewable
energy transitions, biodiversity conservation, addressing water scarcity, and designing green infrastructures are crucial to
safeguarding ecological integrity. Equally important are economic and financial perspectives, with sustainable finance, ESG
reporting, auditing, governance, and green accounting (Passas et al., 2022), serving as central tools to align markets and
institutions with the climate neutrality and circularity goals of the European Green Deal. The socio‐cultural dimension is
no less essential, encompassing responsible tourism, the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, social
inclusion, migration, and the role of communities in fostering resilience and well‐being.
Each annual volume will consist of four issues. Three issues will focus on the journal’s thematic pillars, id est Cities
and Environment, Economics and Accounting, and Society, Tourism and Culture, while one issue will be dedicated to
an emerging or cross‐cutting topic, coordinated by a guest editor. A distinctive innovation of the journal will be the
inclusion of data papers, which provide systematic documentation of empirical datasets and methodological insights that the
scientific community can reuse. In line with the principles of open science, these contributions will enhance transparency,
reproducibility, and the evidence base for policymaking in sustainability research.