Multi-Criteria Sustainability Assessment in Energy and Agricultural Systems: Challenges and Pathways for Low-Carbon Transition

The accelerating low-carbon transition requires decision-support approaches capable of addressing complex, interdependent sustainability challenges across multiple sectors. While Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) techniques are gaining popularity in assessing sustainability within energy and agricultural systems, their current application remains fragmented, sector-focused, and poorly aligned with the fundamental system characteristics of uncertainty, circularity, and social equity. This Perspective employs a systematized conceptual analysis to integrate different MCDM techniques, methodological trends, and integration challenges in energy and agricultural systems. Through a literature review, this work provides a critical view of the predominant structural deficiencies, which stem from methodological isolation, the use of disparate and heterogeneous datasets, ad hoc treatment of uncertainty, and the lack of incorporation of the circular economy (CE) and equity dimensions in the analysis. Given the presence of multifunctionality, circularity, climate sensitivity, and strong social characteristics, the analysis underscores that agriculture is a prime candidate to serve as a system-level testbed for the development of integrated MCDM frameworks. Based on this analysis, the paper articulates the fundamental characteristics of next-generation MCDM frameworks that are cross-sectoral, flexible, adaptive, uncertainty-resilient, and actionable. In doing so, it prioritizes integrated approaches that combine MCDM with life cycle assessment (LCA), data analytics, and nexus modelling. This paper stresses that structural deficiencies need to be addressed for MCDM to evolve from sectoral and fragmented analytical frameworks to cohesive decision-support systems that can guide energy and agricultural systems transitions towards equity, circularity, and climate change adaptation. As a perspective, this paper does not aim to provide empirical validation but instead articulates conceptual design principles for next-generation MCDM frameworks that integrate uncertainty, circularity, and social equity across energy and agricultural systems.