Towards Sustainable Industry: A Comprehensive Review of Energy–Economy–Environment System Analysis and Future Trends

Abstract

Industry, encompassing various sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, and services, is crucial for economic growth and societal progress. However, industrial growth often comes at the cost of environmental degradation and energy resource depletion, ignoring the need for sustainable development. This study analyzed 131 articles published from 2004 to 2023, using the energy–economy–environment (3E) method to explore industrial research trends. The primary focus of industrial 3E research is on environmental impact and sustainable development, particularly related to energy consumption. This field covers various topics like systems, efficiency, optimization, and others. LCA methods and system dynamics models are commonly used in research method innovation. This study summarizes the main viewpoints of industrial 3E research and highlights future research directions and priorities, including transitions to areas like agriculture, fisheries, and renewable energy and combining evaluation and prediction methods with 3E methods, conducting large-scale system research, and examining coupling relationships within and between industrial systems.