Journal profile · Social Sciences-Geography, Planning and Development
Environmental Development
ISSN 2211-4645 · eISSN 2211-4653 · Elsevier BV · Netherlands
Environmental Development: CAS Zone 2 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.75; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,540; review about 239 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 262 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Environmental Development is published by Elsevier BV and is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management, Land Use and Ecosystem Services and Climate change impacts on agriculture, together about 22.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Global and Planetary Change. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Transdisciplinary Journal of SCOPEEnvironmental Development is a transdisciplinary, future-oriented journal focused on research and practices that contribute to globally relevant environment and development issues at local and regional scales.The immense task of reversing deteriorating environmental trends attributable to unsustainable development practices requires globally relevant solutions at the local and regional scale. Strategies to address the impediments to sustainable development include mitigation of climate change, adaptation to its impacts, and innovative responses to the problems of over-consumption or failures to manage the negative impacts of economic activities.Environmental Development provides a channel for theoretical knowledge contributions and empirical, practice-based applications addressing issues related to the environmental dimension of sustainable development. Environmental Development is interested in bold and innovative research applications, methods and practices that balance the need for development with the long term needs of society and the natural environment. The journal seeks to provide a platform for scientific and experiential knowledge exchange among researchers, development practitioners, policy professionals, and communities working at the interface of research and society. With its interest in research and practices that contribute to globally relevant environment and development issues at local and regional scales, the journal offers an international forum for research, communication, discussion and global action on environmental development.Environmental Development publishes research that strengthens the collaboration between the developed and developing world and links environmental research to broader issues of economic and social-cultural development. Environmental Development serves as a reference resource for information and learning from established and emerging researchers, strengthening the connections among fundamental research, policy development and applications in environmental management. Environmental Development is open to a broad range of disciplines and authors. The journal welcomes contributions from a younger generation of researchers, and papers expanding the trans- and interdisciplinary frontiers of the environmentally relevant sciences.All submissions to Environmental Development are reviewed using the criteria of quality, originality, precision and coherence, clarity of exposition, and the importance of the topic and insights, in accordance with the Journal's aims and scope. New insights and approaches to environmental development that contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are welcomed. The long-term implications for society and the natural environment are of deep and abiding interest.Each submission should be accompanied by a covering letter to the editor (see instructions to authors). In addition, the letter should:address the societal and scientific relevance of the manuscript in the context of environmental development, i.e. explain how the submission aligns with the aims and scope.explain why the submission can be considered trans- or interdisciplinary, andclarify how the local or regional issue is scalable, globally applicable and/or has policy, management or practical relevance.Submissions to the journal may be rejected based on an internal review by the Editors-in-Chief under the general category, "out-of-scope" if they fail to satisfy one or more of the above set of criteria. Other reasons why this may occur include:The submission is exclusively (bio)technical without a case-based application or thorough consideration of policy or practice implications.The submission is an (nominally environmental) econometric analysis.The methods in literature review submissions are inadequately described.Data sources are not clearly documented and/or are uncited.Research involving human subjects has not demonstrably adhered to
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Geography, Planning and Development
Editor-in-chief G. FernandezPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 8 in mainland China (about 15%); most named Mainland China 8, United Kingdom 8, Netherlands 6, South Africa 4, United States 3 (52 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource ManagementEnvironmental Science7.6%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science7.5%
- Climate change impacts on agricultureAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.3%
- Coastal and Marine ManagementEnvironmental Science5.3%
- Agricultural risk and resilienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.6%
- Energy, Environment, Economic GrowthEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.4%
- Marine and fisheries researchEnvironmental Science4.2%
- Environmental Impact and SustainabilityEnvironmental Science3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
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
- 4.75LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 4.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 8.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.25LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.46LetPub ·
- h-index
- 24LetPub ·
- h-index
- 79OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 656OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.72OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 30.02%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 241LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,383 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 117 | 56 | 68 |
| 2025 | 262 | 108 | 1,090 |
| 2024 | 136 | 60 | 1,274 |
| 2023 | 133 | 43 | 2,593 |
| 2022 | 77 | 19 | 1,856 |
| 2021 | 61 | 21 | 1,866 |
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
- Submission to first decision
- 27 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 147 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 239 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
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
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,540 / EUR 3,310 / GBP 2,830 / JPY 439,070 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,260 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
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 prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 7,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted11, with length limits
- letterThe following categories of contributions are welcome:Original research papers: These should be demonstrably inter- or trans-disciplinary in nature and show how…Length not stated
- letters to the editorThe following categories of contributions are welcome:Original research papers: These should be demonstrably inter- or trans-disciplinary in nature and show how…Length not stated
- original articleThe following categories of contributions are welcome:Original research papers: These should be demonstrably inter- or trans-disciplinary in nature and show how…Length not stated
- original research paperThe following categories of contributions are welcome:Original research papers: These should be demonstrably inter- or trans-disciplinary in nature and show how…Length not stated
- original research papersOriginal research papers: These should be demonstrably inter- or trans-disciplinary in nature and show how (local or regional) research results are relevant to …Length not stated
- perspectiveThe following categories of contributions are welcome:Original research papers: These should be demonstrably inter- or trans-disciplinary in nature and show how…main text ≤ 3,000 words
- perspective articlesPerspective articles: These provide an opportunity for authors to present a novel or distinctive viewpoint on any subject within the journal's scope, with a str…Length not stated
- research paperThe following categories of contributions are welcome:Original research papers: These should be demonstrably inter- or trans-disciplinary in nature and show how…main text ≤ 7,000 words
- reviewThe following categories of contributions are welcome:Original research papers: These should be demonstrably inter- or trans-disciplinary in nature and show how…main text ≤ 7,000 words
- reviews of literatureReviews of literature: These focus on a selected topic within the scope of the journal and synthesize the global state of knowledge on important emerging releva…Length not stated
- viewpointThe following categories of contributions are welcome:Original research papers: These should be demonstrably inter- or trans-disciplinary in nature and show how…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
Ethics: 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
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
Peer review type: single anonymized review process. 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, does not count as prior publication. 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 BV
- Country or region
- Netherlands
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2211-4645
- Electronic ISSN
- 2211-4653
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Environmental Development
What CAS zone is Environmental Development in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Environmental Development is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Environmental Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Environmental Development?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.75; CiteScore 8.5, h-index 79.
How long does peer review take at Environmental Development?
The publisher reports about 239 days (submission to acceptance). 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 Development?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 7,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: 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 Development based?
Of the 52 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 8 (about 15%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (8), United Kingdom (8) and Netherlands (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Environmental Development?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Environmental Development is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Environmental Development open access, and what is the APC?
Environmental Development is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,540.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .