Discover our 2025 special issue, Explorations in Art and AI: Reimagining Sustainability Through Student Vision, featuring creative and research-based student works exploring the intersection of technology, creativity, and sustainability.
Read more about 2025 Special Issue Now Published! Explorations in Art and AI: Reimagining Sustainability Through Student Vision
This special issue of Future Earth brings together a coordinated collection of student research from the Master of Environmental Economics and Management program (Fall 2025), examining a central question of the Paris Agreement era: why do emissions trajectories continue to diverge from climate targets?
Using a common IPAT/Kaya analytical framework and World Bank data, each author conducts a national case study to assess how population, economic growth, and technological change interact to shape emissions outcomes. Across major emitting economies and developing nations alike, a consistent pattern emerges—emissions intensity often declines, yet absolute emissions fall too slowly, or continue rising, relative to pledged commitments.
Together, these papers highlight a defining tension of contemporary climate policy: ambition is widespread, but structural transformation remains uneven and gradual. Grounded in empirical analysis rather than policy rhetoric, this collection invites reflection on credibility, timelines, and the pace of decarbonization required to align growth with global climate goals.
Future Earth: A Student Journal on Sustainability and Environment
At Thompson Rivers University, this is a free, open-access journal available in both online and print PDF formats. It reflects the intellectual curiosity and achievements of our undergraduate and graduate students and showcases their outstanding research, with a focus on sustainability. Recognizing the crucial role student research plays in generating new knowledge, the journal provides a platform for students to share their work with a broader audience.
We are committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity, and welcome contributions from students of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our distinguished editorial board is dedicated to guiding student authors and upholding the highest standards of academic excellence and integrity.
We are proud to be part of their academic journey and hope this journal will inspire the next generation of scholars while contributing meaningfully to the field.
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) campuses are situated on the ancestral lands of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and the T’exelc within Secwepemcúl’ecw, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Secwépemc. The rich tapestry of this land also encompasses the territories of the St’át’imc, Nlaka’pamux, Tŝilhqot’in, Nuxalk, and Dakelh. Recognizing the deep histories and ongoing presence of these Indigenous peoples, we express gratitude for the wisdom held by this land. TRU is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment, valuing education as a shared journey. TRU Open Press, inspired by collaborative learning on this land, upholds open principles and accessible education, nurturing respectful, reciprocal relationships through the shared exchange of knowledge across generations and communities.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the student authors for their insightful contributions, and to the faculty editors and reviewers for their invaluable guidance and dedication in bringing our Future Earth: A Student Journal on Sustainability and Environment to life at TRU. Your efforts have helped create a meaningful platform for collaboration and discovery.
Photo of Kamloops; British Columbia by Alexis Mette on Unsplash
@ 2024 Future Earth, Thompson Rivers University.
All articles in Future Earth are published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA) license. This license allows others to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material for non-commercial purposes, as long as proper credit is given to the original creator. Any adaptations must be shared under the same terms as the original work.
ISSN 2819-7046
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Future Earth: A Student Journal on Sustainability and Environment
Thompson Rivers University (TRU)
805 TRU Way
Kamloops, BC, Canada
V2C 0C8
Email: Dr. Peter Tsigaris, ptsigaris@tru.ca
This journal is committed to ensuring accessibility for all readers. If you encounter any issues, please contact openpress@tru.ca
This journal is supported by Thompson Rivers University and TRU Open Press.
