Journal profile · Environmental Science-Environmental Engineering
Environmental Challenges
ISSN 2667-0100 · Elsevier · Netherlands
Environmental Challenges: impact factor 9.2 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 1,800; review about 86 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 321 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Environmental Challenges is published by Elsevier. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Land Use and Ecosystem Services, Flood Risk Assessment and Management and Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies, together about 21.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Global and Planetary Change. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Environmental Challenges is an international open‑access journal that advances solutions‑oriented environmental research with direct implications for management, governance and implementation. We publish studies that demonstrate:A clearly defined and bounded environmental challenge;A tested, evaluated, or implemented response, such as a technology, policy, management intervention, or nature‑based solution;Generalizable and transferable insights relevant to decision‑makers beyond the immediate study setting.We prioritize contributions that quantify outcomes (e.g., pollution load reduction, risk abatement, cost‑effectiveness, equity or co‑benefits), compare alternatives, and reveal barriers and enablers of implementation. While the journal acknowledges the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, our remit is deliberately focused on environmental SDGs 6 (water), 11 (sustainable cities), 12 (responsible consumption and waste), 13 (climate action), 14 (life below water), and 15 (life on land)—with an emphasis on actionable pathways and management impacts rather than broad agenda framing. Submissions should include a clearly defined use case or decision context, together with transparent methods, data and metrics that support replication and adoption.The journal welcomes submissions that focus on the following topics:Pollution Abatement & Circular Resource Management (SDG 12)Industrial and urban emissions control; multi‑pollutant mitigation strategies.Solid waste, plastics, e‑waste and organics: prevention, capture, sorting, recycling, and end‑market performance; LCA‑backed circularity models.Emerging contaminants (PFAS, microplastics, pharmaceuticals): risk management, monitoring-to-action pipelines, and treatment efficacy in real systems.2. Water Security under Climate Stress (SDG 6 & 13)Watershed/source‑to‑tap risk management; drought/flood adaptation portfolios and trade‑offs.Climate‑resilient WASH services and utility performance (non‑revenue water, energy/water nexus).Nature based and hybrid infrastructure for water quality/quantity with cost–benefit or cost–effectiveness evidence.3. Urban & Industrial Environmental Management (SDG 11 & 12)Air quality management plans (AQMPs) and measured public health/ exposure outcomesDecarbonization of hard to abate sectors only when accompanied by environmental performance and management implications (e.g., emissions, water, waste, ecosystem impacts).Land contamination, brownfield remediation, and evidence on cleanup standards attainment and reuse.4. Resilient Ecosystems & Nature‑Based Solutions (SDG 14 & 15)Coastal and riverine resilience (e.g., living shorelines, wetland restoration) with quantified hazard reduction (erosion, surge, flood) and biodiversity co‑benefits.Catchment/land‑use interventions that reduce sediment/nutrient loads, restore habitats, or reverse degradation, with monitoring designs that enable policy learning.5. Risk, Governance & Implementation Science for the Environment (cross‑cutting)Environmental risk assessment linked to management decisions (standards, permits, compliance).Policy instruments, regulation, finance and procurement models that accelerate adoption of effective solutions; evidence of effectiveness (before–after, quasi‑experimental, RCT, natural experiments).Community participation, equity and just transition as determinants of environmental outcomes (not as stand‑alone social studies).We may not consider submissions that fall outside the journal’s applied, solution-oriented mission:Basic laboratory studies without a management pathway or field relevance.Biodiversity or ecology studies without a management intervention or policy implication.Energy materials or device papers not centered on environmental performance or management outcomes.Case reports that are narrowly local without transferable insight, benchmarking, or comparison.General SDG/ESG discourse, awareness studies, or surveys without environmental outcome metrics.Manuscripts that mere
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Science-Environmental Engineering
Editorial board by country: 7 in mainland China (about 23%); most named United States 8, Mainland China 7, Italy 5, Poland 2, New Zealand 2 (31 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science10%
- Flood Risk Assessment and ManagementEnvironmental Science6.6%
- Hydrology and Watershed Management StudiesEnvironmental Science5.3%
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource ManagementEnvironmental Science5.2%
- Heavy metals in environmentEnvironmental Science4.8%
- Climate change impacts on agricultureAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.4%
- Municipal Solid Waste ManagementEnvironmental Science4.3%
- Air Quality and Health ImpactsEnvironmental Science4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 9.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 10.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 10.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.34LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.9LetPub ·
- h-index
- 73OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 753OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.14OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,697 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 270 | 270 | 101 |
| 2025 | 321 | 321 | 1,300 |
| 2024 | 243 | 243 | 2,885 |
| 2023 | 153 | 153 | 3,738 |
| 2022 | 237 | 237 | 6,751 |
| 2021 | 406 | 406 | 14,301 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with PubMed · to
Too few articlesOnly 1 articles from the last 24 months carry both submission and acceptance dates, too few for a median
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 8 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 36 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 86 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 8 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 1,800 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,140 / EUR 2,000 / GBP 1,710 / JPY 265,420 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 1,800 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,090 | — | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Cover letter
- Optional
Article types accepted9
- original research articleOriginal Research Articles: Full‑length studies presenting new applied research with clear challenge → solution → impact logic, supported by empirical data or s…Length not stated
- original research articlesOriginal Research Articles: Full‑length studies presenting new applied research with clear challenge → solution → impact logic, supported by empirical data or s…Length not stated
- perspectiveEnvironmental Challenges welcomes:Full length research article describing new discoveries and advancements in environmental science and management.Review articl…Length not stated
- perspectivesPerspectives: Short pieces offering analytical insight, emerging frameworks, or lessons learned across cases (provided they are grounded in solution evaluation,…Length not stated
- research articleEnvironmental Challenges welcomes:Full length research article describing new discoveries and advancements in environmental science and management.Review articl…Length not stated
- reviewEnvironmental Challenges welcomes:Full length research article describing new discoveries and advancements in environmental science and management.Review articl…Length not stated
- review articleEnvironmental Challenges welcomes:Full length research article describing new discoveries and advancements in environmental science and management.Review articl…Length not stated
- review articlesReview Articles: Syntheses of evidence that clarify the performance, comparative effectiveness, or implementation conditions of environmental solutions. Reviews…Length not stated
- short communicationEnvironmental Challenges welcomes:Full length research article describing new discoveries and advancements in environmental science and management.Review articl…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Authors must follow Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy. Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Open access journal; readers referred to open access information page for options. Model summary
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process; submissions initially assessed by editors; suitable submissions sent to a minimum of two reviewers; editors make the final accept/reject decision. Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed per Elsevier policy; free preprint posting service on SSRN offered; posting on SSRN has no effect on editorial process or publication outcome. Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- Netherlands
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2667-0100
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Environmental Challenges
What is the impact factor of Environmental Challenges?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 9.2; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 10.8, h-index 73.
How long does peer review take at Environmental Challenges?
The publisher reports about 86 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 8 weeks. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Environmental Challenges?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Cover letter: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Environmental Challenges based?
Of the 31 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 7 (about 23%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (8), Mainland China (7) and Italy (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Environmental Challenges?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Environmental Challenges is indexed in Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Environmental Challenges open access, and what is the APC?
Environmental Challenges is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,800.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .