Journal profile · Environmental Science-Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Local Environment
ISSN 1354-9839 · eISSN 1469-6711 · Routledge · United Kingdom
Local Environment: CAS Zone 3 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.77; JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 263 days to acceptance (93 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 14% (journal website); 157 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Local Environment is published by Routledge and is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Sustainability and Climate Change Governance, Environmental Justice and Health Disparities and Urban Agriculture and Sustainability, together about 23.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability is a refereed journal written by and for researchers, activists, non-governmental organisations, students, teachers, policy makers and practitioners. Our focus is specifically on sustainability planning, policy and politics in relation to theoretical, conceptual and empirical studies at the nexus of equity, justice and the local environment. It is an inclusive forum for diverse constituencies and perspectives to engage in a critical examination, evaluation and discussion of the environmental, social and economic policies, processes and strategies which will be needed in movement towards social justice and sustainability - "Just Sustainabilities" - at the local scale. Please note that we only accept submissions that share our focus. Based on critical research and practical experience, we are particularly seeking submissions from nations and continents representing different levels of income and industrial development and from countries in transition in order to engage in mutual learning and understanding. Peer Review Statement Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability is an international, peer-reviewed journal that publishes a wide range of research contributions to the production of knowledge. These can include, but are not limited to research articles, review articles, practice review articles, case studies, viewpoints and commentaries, observational and ethnographic analyses, theoretical and conceptual analyses and position papers. We also publish special issues. All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor-in-Chief, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees. All peer review is double anonymized and submission is online via Submission Portal. Disclaimer
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Science-Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Editor-in-chief Julian AgyemanPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 2, Taiwan, China 1 (3 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Sustainability and Climate Change GovernanceEnvironmental Science9.1%
- Environmental Justice and Health DisparitiesSocial Sciences7.4%
- Urban Agriculture and SustainabilityAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.2%
- Urban Green Space and HealthEnvironmental Science6.5%
- Organic Food and AgricultureAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.7%
- Climate Change, Adaptation, MigrationSocial Sciences5%
- Social Acceptance of Renewable EnergySocial Sciences4.6%
- Urban Planning and GovernanceSocial Sciences4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Green & Sustainable Science & Technology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Urban Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Green & Sustainable Science & Technology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Urban Studies | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Studies | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Green & Sustainable Science & Technology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Regional & Urban Planning | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Urban Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CAB AbstractsPublisher website
Other: OCLC, Agricultural Engineering Abstracts, Agroforestry Abstracts (Online), Animal Breeding Abstracts, Animal Science Database, Biofuels Abstracts, Crop Science Database, Dairy Science Abstracts, Environmental Impact, Forest Products Abstracts, Forest Science Database, Forestry Abstracts, Global Health, Grasslands and Forage Abstracts, Horticultural Science Database, Irrigation and Drainage Abstracts, Leisure Tourism Database, Maize Abstracts (Online), Nutrition and Food Sciences Database, Organic Research Database, Parasitology Database, Plant Breeding Abstracts, Plant Genetics and Breeding Database, Review of Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Rice Abstracts, Rural Development Abstracts, Seed Abstracts, Soil Science Database, Soils and Fertilizers, TropAg & Rural
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
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
- 2.77LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.91LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.91Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.14LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.14Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 53LetPub ·
- h-index
- 106OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,245OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.66OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 22.25%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 148LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 423,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,226 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 132 | 58 | 40 |
| 2025 | 157 | 58 | 326 |
| 2024 | 117 | 56 | 713 |
| 2023 | 91 | 43 | 963 |
| 2022 | 98 | 47 | 1,466 |
| 2021 | 116 | 40 | 2,155 |
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 Crossref · to
263 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 195 days – 410 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 29 days (93 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 295 days
- Sample
- 93 articles with submission and acceptance dates (321 in the window); the latest was accepted on
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".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 14%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 13 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 145 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 34 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Local Environment is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability and reade…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Statement
Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability is an international, peer-reviewed journal that publishes a wide range of research contributions to the production of knowledge. These can include, but are not limited to research articles, review articles, practice review articles, case studies, viewpoints and commentaries, observational and ethnographic analyses, theoreti…
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
- Routledge
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- ISSN
- 1354-9839
- Electronic ISSN
- 1469-6711
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 31, Issue 9 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Local Environment
What CAS zone is Local Environment in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Local Environment is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Environmental Studies / Geography / Green & Sustainable Science & Technology / Regional & Urban Planning / Urban Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Local Environment?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.77; CiteScore 5.8, h-index 106.
How long does peer review take at Local Environment?
Based on the dates recorded on 93 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 263 days (interquartile range 195–410 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 14%. 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 JCR quartile is Local Environment in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology.
Where are the editorial board members of Local Environment based?
Of the 3 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (2) and Taiwan, China (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Local Environment?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Local Environment is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAB Abstracts; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Local Environment open access, and what is the APC?
Local Environment is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .