On April 19, 2022, the first issue of Carbon Neutrality, the world's first comprehensive international academic journal in the field of carbon neutrality, is published online.

Carbon Neutrality (ISSN: 2731-3948, www.springer.com/journal/43979) is an international, multi-disciplinary academic journal jointly launched by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Springer Nature. By publishing highest-quality original research and review papers in the fields of low carbon technology, environmental governance and carbon management, Carbon Neutrality aims to establish itself as a flagship and leading international journal in the low-carbon field and to build an international academic exchange platform for cutting-edge net-zero carbon research.

Within the first issue, a total of 12 papers are published, including 1 Comment, 6 Reviews and 5 Original Articles. The full collection of the first issue can be accessed at https://link.springer.com/journal/43979/volumes-and-issues and the list of papers are as follows.

Zhenhua Xie, China's Special Envoy for Climate Change and former Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, analyzes the global climate change challenges and points out the necessity and significance of launching the journal of Carbon Neutrality in his editorial. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43979-022-00012-w)

Changying Zhao, the Editor-in-Chief of Carbon Neutrality, introduces the background and purposes of the journal to the global audiences in his editorial titled “Carbon Neutrality: Aiming for a Net-Zero Carbon Future”. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43979-022-00013-9)

Huaqing Xu, Director of the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, publishes a commentary – “Facilitating Full and Effective Implementation of the Paris Agreement for Carbon Neutrality Vision”, pointing out that to achieve carbon neutrality, it is necessary to adhere to the guidance of the new development philosophy, to concentrate on the backward role of the two major goals of peaking carbon dioxide emissions and reaching carbon neutrality, to support regions with favorable conditions, key industries and key enterprises in taking the lead in peaking carbon dioxide, and to accelerate breakthroughs in the four major revolutions. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43979-022-00014-8)

Academician Liejin Guo’s research group (Xi'an Jiaotong University) publishes an original research paper – “Technological Innovations on Direct Carbon Mitigation by Ordered Energy Conversion and Full Resource Utilization” and introduces two innovative technologies for achieving a full resource utilization and zero CO₂emission. One is supercritical water gasification-based coal/biomass utilization technology, which orderly converts chemical energy of coal and low-grade heat into hydrogen energy, and can achieve poly-generation of steam, heat, hydrogen, power, pure CO₂, and minerals. The other one is the renewables-powered CO₂reduction techniques, which uses CO₂ as the resource for carbon-based fuel production. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43979-022-00009-5)

The research groups of Academician Junwang Tang (University College London) and Professor Liqiang Jing (Heilongjiang University) jointly publish a review paper – “Strategies and Reaction Systems for Solar-Driven CO₂ Reduction by Water”, which describes fundamental aspects of photocatalytic CO₂ reduction by pure water, the reaction systems and the reliable method for detection of the products, provides an overview of recent advances of the main strategy for improving the photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, and proposes the prospects and challenges on precise designing heterogeneous catalysts for CO₂ photoreduction. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43979-022-00006-8)

Professor Yao Wang’s team (Central University of Finance and Economics) publishes a review paper – “Firm and Climate Change: a Review of Carbon Risk in Corporate Finance”, which provides an overview of financial economics-based research on carbon risk with an emphasis on corporate finance and focuses on the links between carbon risk and different firm performance factors, such as firm risk, cost of capital, financial performance, firm value, and corporate decisions. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43979-022-00005-9)

Academician Yimin Xuan’s team (Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics) publishes a perspective paper – “Current Dilemma in Photocatalytic CO₂ Reduction: Real Solar Fuel Production or False Positive Outcomings?” The paper focuses on the accurate assessment of the CO₂ reduction products, systemically discusses the possible sources of errors in the product quantification, elaborates the common mistakes spread in the analysis of reaction products obtained in ¹³C labelling experiments, and proposes reliable protocols for reporting the results of these isotopic tracing experiments. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43979-022-00011-x)

Professor Changying Zhao’s team (Shanghai Jiao Tong University) publishes a review paper – “China's Energy Transitions for Carbon Neutrality: Challenges and Opportunities”, which provides an overview of China's carbon emission, energy structure and climate policies, analyzes the energy transition pathways and key technologies for achieving the target of carbon neutrality, and introduces opportunities and challenges faced by China's energy industry. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43979-022-00010-y)

Professor Yen Wah Tong's team (National University of Singapore) publishes an original research paper – “Valorization of Poly-Β-Hydroxybutyrate (PHB)-Based Bioplastic Waste in Anaerobic Digesters of Food Waste for Bioenergy Generation: Reactor Performance, Microbial Community Analysis, and Bioplastic Biodegradation”. The paper investigates the significance and biodegradation pathways of PHB-based bioplastic in anaerobic digesters treating food waste, where the reactor performance of changed methane generation, bioplastic biodegradation efficiency, and bioinformatic analysis of functional microbes are emphasized. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43979-021-00001-5)

Professor Wenzhong Shen's team (Shanghai Jiao Tong University) publishes a review paper – “Monolithic Perovskite/c-Si Tandem Solar Cell: Progress on Numerical Simulation”, which reviews the recent progress of numerical simulation studies of monolithic perovskite/c-Si TSC in terms of the methodology, light harvesting management, and energy yield aspects, and provides a guidance for experimental preparation of low-cost and high-efficiency perovskite/c-Si TSC. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43979-022-00003-x)

Academician Kefa Cen and Professor Jun Cheng (Zhejiang University) publish an original research paper – “Mechanisms of Strengthening Energy and Mass Transfer in Microbial Conversion of Flue-Gas-Derived CO₂to Biodiesel and Biogas Fuels”. The paper reveals the mass transfer mechanism of vortex flow across cell membrane micropores through the research on the microbial conversion of flue gas CO₂ into biodiesel and biogas, proposes a strategy that directionally regulates enzyme activity, and establishes the chain reaction pathways coupled with step changes. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43979-022-00004-w)

Xian Zhang, Director of the Administrative Centre for China’s Agenda 21, and Professor Jingli Fan’s team (China University of Mining and Technology) publish a review paper – “Advances, Challenges, and Perspectives for CCUS Source-Sink Matching Models under Carbon Neutrality Target”. This review evaluates the advances, challenges, and perspectives of various CCUS source-sink matching models developed in the past 10 years by providing an integrated conceptual framework from six key attributes relating to mitigation targets, carbon sources, carbon sinks, transportation networks, utilization, and integration (synergy). (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43979-022-00007-7)

Academician Chunming Xu's team (China University of Petroleum) publishes a review paper – “Recent Progress of Quantum Dots for Energy Storage Applications”, which outlines the latest achievements of quantum dots and their composites materials in those energy storage applications, analyzes the shortcomings of quantum dots in energy storage and conversion, and predicts the future development trend, challenges, and opportunities of quantum dots research. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43979-022-00002-y)

The team of Professor Yukun Shi (University of Glasgow) publishes an original research paper – “Climate Policy Uncertainty and Corporate Investment: Evidence from the Chinese Energy Industry”. Using the dynamic threshold model, this paper investigates the nonlinear and the asymmetric effect of climate policy uncertainty on Chinese firm investment decisions with panel data of 128 Chinese energy-related companies from 2007 to 2019. The results of this study could help the company managers and policymakers to arrange appropriate related strategies under different climate policy conditions. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43979-022-00008-6)

Carbon Neutrality is an Open Access journal, yet the Article Processing Charges (APC) are fully waived. We warmly welcome researchers across the world to become our readers, authors and reviewers, and create a global scientific community aiming for a carbon neutral future.