Dear GEP-ED colleagues, A new journal in our field has just been launched: "Earth System Governance", the new open-access journal for all those interested in the study of institutions, political processes and governance mechanisms related to environmental change, earth system transformations and the quest for global sustainability. "Earth System Governance" is open to scholars from all disciplines, empirical fields, and theoretical and methodological approaches. "Earth System Governance" addresses governance at all levels of decision-making. We welcome papers that study local governance, from coastal zone management in Asia to decarbonization policies in North American cities, as well as research on national institutions and politics. We are also interested in studies of global environmental politics and the international agreements that shape such processes, from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or the Convention on Biological Diversity with their protocols, to more specific agreements on mercury, fisheries or endangered species. In studying such institutions, we also welcome papers from legal communities open to engaging with the governance approach in the social sciences. Importantly, because governance does not stop with governmental policy and intergovernmentalism, we expect to publish cutting-edge research on non-state institutions and private actors, from civil society organizations to myriad nongovernmental and transnational initiatives and partnerships. "Earth System Governance" is not only about the effectiveness of policies and institutions. The Anthropocene framing has opened a host of fundamental questions about the relationship between humans and what was known as 'nature', along with disconcerting and novel ethical questions about the role and responsibilities of people and societies in this new epoch in planetary history. "Earth System Governance" will serve as a discursive forum for such debates, and welcomes papers that discuss, for instance, reformulations of notions of justice, responsibility and agency in the context of earth system governance. The democratic quality of earth system governance is another fundamental concern that this new journal seeks to explore, and we invite innovative papers on the legitimacy, accountability, transparency and democratic quality of institutions, processes and governance mechanisms from local to global levels. The normative turn in earth system governance research has led many to explore pathways for a deeper transformation of our societies and governance systems towards global sustainability. "Earth System Governance" welcomes such research that addresses fundamental transformations at all levels of societal organization. "Earth System Governance" does not locate itself in any disciplinary tradition. The research challenges are immense, and we recognize that scholars with backgrounds in political science, public administration, international relations, law, sociology, geography, ecological economics and the humanities all need to contribute to the broader debate. Similarly, we are agnostic about fundamental questions of ontology and epistemology, positivism or poststructuralism, and welcome both qualitative and quantitative research. We also welcome transdisciplinary studies that involve insights and knowledge from outside the confines of universities, and critical reflection on the structural drivers of unsustainable developments and ineffective earth system governance. In short, a unique characteristic of "Earth System Governance" is the integration of discourses, research lines and scholarly traditions. The journal brings together debates that cross disciplinary boundaries; integrates insights from local to global levels; combines analysis and critique with the quest for political reform and societal transformation; and shares insights for scholars and practitioners alike. We look forward to your contributions. With best regards Frank Biermann Editor-in-Chief, Earth System Governance https://www.journals.elsevier.com/earth-system-governance
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