Call for Papers: Blockchains and Sustainability

Ledger is seeking submissions of original research and scholarly review for a peer-reviewed special issue on the topic of Blockchains and Sustainability.

In recent years, cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies have come under fire for sustainability reasons—for example the contribution of proof-of-work mining to the climate crisis and the increasing production of e-waste from the blockchain sector of the economy—the impacts of which are commonly perceived to be disproportionate to the value they contribute to society. In this special issue, Ledger would like to use its position as a peer-reviewed, academic journal to explore rather than litigate the subject, to highlight new research into the sustainability of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies: the problems they can present, the solutions being developed, and the opportunities for them to contribute to a more sustainable world.

Potential topics might include:

- The use of blockchains to develop circular economies
- Scalability and power usage of various consensus algorithms
- Impacts of growing sectors of the crypto-economy on carbon emissions
- Sustainability regulation/use of sandboxes to test sustainability regulation
- Sustainability of unregulated/free-market cryptocurrency-based economic systems
- Potential blockchain-based climate solutions
- The intersection of blockchains and carbon markets

Potential authors should not limit themselves to this list, but rather take a more expansive approach to the topic. If in doubt about the appropriateness of a topic, authors are encouraged to reach out to our editorial team.

Submissions will be accepted through the end of the calendar year, though earlier submissions are appreciated, in order to give more time for the peer review process. Publication is slated for Q2 of 2023.
Submissions should be made through the submission portal at ledgerjournal.org, with reference made to the special issue in the submission’s accompanying cover letter.

Questions and comments should be directed to Dr. Richard Ford Burley at ledger.editors@pitt.edu. Please include the words “Blockchain and Sustainability” in the subject field to speed up responses.