The paper considers the special features of applying the concept of smart specialization in the old industrial coal-mining regions to implementing the strategy for future sustainable development of the regions, as well as providing recommendations for ensuring the compliance of the institutional environment in such regions of Ukraine with the principles and organizational requirements for the implementation of this concept. The research is methodologically based on the theoretical principles of the evolutionary economics, in particular, on the concepts of path dependency, lock-ins, and others. As an initial step towards creating new path development of old industrial coal-mining areas, the paper proposes to forming institutional and organizational foundations for the development of industries built on the principles of circular economy. It can be done by returning waste from coal-mining and coal enrichment into production cycles using innovative technologies. It is proved that in the case of the of smart specialization concept application in the conditions of the old coal-mining regions it should be necessary to take a number of institutional measures, the main ones of which are proposed in the paper.

The paper analyzes the impact of energy consumption on the three pillars of sustainable development in 74 countries. The main methodological challenge in this research is the choice of a single integral indicator for assessing the social component of sustainable development. Disability-adjusted life year (DALY), ecological footprint, and GDP (Gross domestic product) are used to characterize the social, ecological, and economical pillars. The concept of physics, namely the concept of density (specific gravity), is used. It characterizes the ratio of the mass of a substance to its volume, i.e., reflects the saturation of a certain volume with this substance. Thus, to assess the relationship between energy consumption and the three foundations of sustainable development, it is proposed to determine the energy density of the indicators DALY, the ecological footprint, and GDP. The reaction to changes in energy consumption is described by the elasticity of energy density functions, calculated for each of the abovementioned indicators. The state of the social pillar is mostly dependent on energy consumption. As for the changes in the ecological pillar, a 1% reduction in energy consumption per capita gives only a 0.6% ecological footprint reduction, which indicates a low efficiency of reducing energy consumption policy and its danger for the social pillar. The innovative aspect of the research is to apply a cross-disciplinary approach and a calculative technique to identify the impact that each of the pillars of sustainable development imposes on energy policy design. The policy of renewable energy expansion is preferable for all sustainable development pillars.

The article analyzes the dynamics and structure of freight transport in Ukraine. It is established that container transportation in Ukraine occupies a small share in the total volume of cargo transportation compared to EU countries. In order to optimize the realization of trade, economic and transit potential of the country, multimodal schemes of cargo transportation are considered. One of the key issues in ensuring the sustainable development of the country’s transport system is to reduce emissions of CO2 and other pollutants. To achieve a set of environmental goals in Ukraine, it is necessary to intensify the formation of a sustainable transport system based on the development of multimodal container transportation with the involvement of “clean” modes of transport, primarily rail. Conceptual requirements for the formation of an environmentally sustainable system of multimodal container transportation in Ukraine are determined. Based on the calculations of the scenario, it was proved that the development of container rail transportation allows to obtain environmental and economic effects as a result of reducing CO2 emissions.