MDPI’s Journal Cluster of Environmental Sciences
Environmental science is a broad, multidisciplinary subject that includes research on environments and the life within these environments, as well as the preservation and management of said environments. Increasing concerns about environmental degradation have further heightened the importance and amount of research within this field. It is thus a priority that all scientifically accurate research in environmental science be effectively communicated to the public, not only to raise awareness about impending environmental changes, but also to inspire future generations of researchers to continue the effort to preserve the well-being of our planet.
MDPI journals offer a wide range of open access platforms for environmental science researchers to reach their target audience. From broad, wide-reaching mega-journals like Sustainability to more specific, targeted journals like Waste and Aerobiology, we strive to cater to the publishing needs of scientists working across different environmental disciplines.
The 11 participating journals are as follows:
- Sustainability (ISSN: 2071-1050) is an international and cross-disciplinary, scholarly, open access journal of technical, environmental, cultural, economic, and social sustainability that serves human beings. It provides an advanced forum for studies related to sustainability and sustainable development. Sustainability is led by its Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Steve Lyon (Ohio State University, USA);
- Land (ISSN: 2073-445X) focuses on land system science, landscape, soil and water, urban studies, land–climate interactions, water–energy–land–food (WELF) nexus, biodiversity research and health nexus, land modelling and data processing, ecosystem services, multifunctionality, and sustainability, etc. Land is led by its Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Christine Fürst (University of Halle, Germany);
- Clean Technologies (ISSN: 2571-8797) is an international, open access journal of scientific research on technology development aiming to reduce the environmental impact of human activities. The journal provides a forum to display advances in the development of sustainable technologies that reduce environmental pollution and resource consumption. Clean Technologies publishes reviews, regular research papers, communications, and short notes, as well as Special Issues on particular subjects. Clean Technologies is led by its Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Patricia Luis Alconero (UCLouvain, Belgium);
- Environments (ISSN: 2076-3298) is an international, cross-disciplinary, open access journal focusing on advances, issues, and challenges related to environmental systems. It provides an open space for scientists and engineers to publish and discuss their experimental, theoretical, and practical results in a variety of areas, with particular focus on shared responsibility and sustainable approaches to resource use and ecosystem management. Environments is led by its Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Sergio Ulgiati (1. Parthenope University of Naples, Italy; 2. Beijing Normal University, China);
- Nitrogen (ISSN: 2504-3129) is an international open access journal covering the entire field of nitrogen research, placing special emphasis on environmental, agricultural, and biological sciences. It aims to provide an advanced forum for studies related to nitrogen and the nitrogen cycle. The journal is indexed within ESCI (WoS), Scopus, SciFinder, and other databases. Nitrogen is led by its Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Stephen Macko (University of Virginia, USA);
- Recycling (ISSN: 2313-4321) publishes research in the area of waste re-utilization, waste management technologies, resource recycling policy, and resource recycling practices. It provides an international online forum for research and studies on recycling, resource recovery, and waste utilization across many industries, including glass, paper, metal, plastic, textiles, and electronics. Recycling is led by its Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Michele John (Curtin University, Australia);
- Urban Science (ISSN: 2413-8851) is an international, scientific, peer-reviewed, open access journal of urban and regional studies. The primary aim of this journal is to encourage scientists to publish their theoretical and empirical research relating to urban and rural development, the environment and its resources, the economy, policy, and communities. Urban Science is led by its Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Luis Hernández-Callejo (University of Valladolid, Spain);
- Safety (ISSN: 2313-576X) is a cross-disciplinary, scholarly, open access journal of industrial and human health safety. Safety is led by its Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Raphael Grzebieta (University of New South Wales, Australia);
- Air (ISSN: 2813-4168) encompasses all aspects of air, including air science, air technology, air pollution, and air management and governance. Air is led by its Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Ling Tim Wong (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China);
- Waste (ISSN: 2813-0391) is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal on waste management, science, and technology, published quarterly online by MDPI. The journal provides a publishing platform for studies that investigate new ways and solutions for sustainable waste management to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Waste is led by its Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Catherine N. Mulligan (Concordia University, Canada);
- Aerobiology (ISSN: 2813-5075) is an international, open access journal on environmental science and public and environmental occupational health. The journal publishes reviews, regular research papers, and communications, with the aim of disseminating timely experimental and theoretical research results in a rapid and readily accessible manner. Aerobiology is led by its Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Chad J. Roy (Tulane University, USA).
|
|
Launch year |
Impact Factor (2024) |
CiteScore (2024) |
First Decision (median) |
APC (CHF) |
 |
2009 |
3.3 |
7.7 |
19.3 |
2400 |
 |
2012 |
3.2 |
5.9 |
16 |
2600 |
 |
2019 |
4.7 |
8.3 |
33.7 |
1600 |
 |
2014 |
3.7 |
5.7 |
19.2 |
1800 |
 |
2020 |
2.3 |
2.8 |
19.7 |
1200 |
 |
2016 |
4.6 |
8.9 |
20.9 |
1800 |
 |
2017 |
2.9 |
3.7 |
25.5 |
1600 |
 |
2015 |
1.7 |
3.7 |
37.2 |
1800 |
 |
2023 |
/ |
/ |
20.9 |
1000 |
 |
2023 |
/ |
/ |
30.5 |
1000 |
 |
2023 |
/ |
/ |
19 |
1000 |
MDPI’s mission and values:
As a pioneer of academic open access publishing, MDPI has been serving the scientific community since 1996. Its mission is to foster scientific exchange in all forms and across all disciplines. MDPI’s guidelines for disseminating open science are based on the following values and guiding principles:
- Open Access—All of our content is published in open access and distributed under a Creative Commons License, providing free access to science and the latest research, allowing articles to be freely shared and their content reused with proper attribution;
- Timeliness and Efficiency—Publishing the latest research through thorough editorial work, ensuring that authors receive a first decision in under 32 days and that papers are published within 7–10 days upon acceptance;
- Simplicity—Offering user-friendly tools and services in one place to enhance the efficiency of our editorial process;
- High-Quality Service—Supporting scholars and their work by providing a range of options, such as journal publication at mdpi.com, early publication at preprints.org, and conferences on sciforum.net, all aimed at maximizing the positive impact of research;
- Flexibility—Adapting and developing new tools and services to meet the changing needs of the research community, driven by feedback from authors, editors, and readers;
- Rooted in Sustainability—Ensuring the long-term preservation of published papers and supporting the future of science through partnerships, sponsorships, and awards.
By adhering to these values and principles, MDPI remains committed to advancing scientific knowledge and promoting open science practices.
Selected Special Issues:
“Climate Change and Sustainable Agricultural System”
Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Rameshwar Kanwar
Submission deadline: 10 January 2026
“Economic Perspectives on Land Use and Valuation”
Guest Editors: Dr. Ľubica Rumanovská, Prof. Dr. Izabela Lipińska and Prof. Dr. Jarmila Lazíková
Submission deadline: 13 January 2026
“Green Solvents and Materials for CO2 Capture”
Guest Editors: Dr. Giuseppina Vanga and Dr. Claudia Bassano
Submission deadline: 20 May 2026
“Biochar as an Environmental Technology”
Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Gabriel Gascó Guerrero, Prof. Dr. Ana Méndez and Dr. Jorge Paz-Ferreiro
Submission deadline: 20 May 2026
“Nitrogen Uptake and Loss in Agroecosystems”
Guest Editors: Dr. Arbindra Timilsina and Dr. Bikram Pandey
Submission deadline: 31 January 2026
“Biomass Revival: Rethinking Waste Recycling for a Greener Future”
Guest Editor: Dr. Salustiano Mato De La Iglesia
Submission deadline: 1 May 2026
“Circular Economy Strategies for Sustainable Urban Development: Innovations in Waste Management and Building Materials”
Guest Editor: Dr. Robert Haigh
Submission deadline: 28 February 2026
“Environmental Risk Assessment—Health and Safety”
Guest Editor: Dr. Brindusa Sluser
Submission deadline: 10 May 2026
“Air Pollution Exposure and Its Impact on Human Health”
Guest Editor: Dr. Nedim Durmus
Submission deadline: 1 July 2026
“Use of Waste Materials in Construction Industry”
Guest Editor: Dr. Apostolos Giannis
Submission deadline: 31 December 2025
“Bioaerosols in Urban Settings: Roles of Climate Change, Ecosystem Services and Human Health”
Guest Editors: Dr. Athanasios Charalampopoulos, Dr. Ioanna Pyrri and Dr. Athanasios Damialis
Submission deadline: 31 March 2026
Selected Articles:
Sustainability
“Economic Performance, Environmental Protection and Social Progress: A Cluster Analysis Comparison towards Sustainable Development”
by Idiano D’Adamo, Cristina Di Carlo, Massimo Gastaldi, Edouard Nicolas Rossi and Antonio Felice Uricchio
Sustainability 2024, 16(12), 5049; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16125049
Land
“Better Safe Than Sorry: A Model to Assess Anthropic Impacts on a River System in Order to Take Care of the Landscape”
by Eleonora Rivieccio, Domenico Fulgione, Gabriele de Filippo, Antonino De Natale, Vincenzo Paturzo, Claudio Mineo, Stefania Passaretti, Anna Varriale and Maria Buglione
Land 2024, 13(7), 1076; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13071076
Clean Technologies
“Co-Treatment of Food Waste and Municipal Sewage Sludge: Technical and Environmental Review of Biological and Thermal Technologies”
by Giovanni Gadaleta, Francesco Todaro, Annamaria Giuliano, Sabino De Gisi and Michele Notarnicola
Clean Technol. 2024, 6(3), 852-885; https://doi.org/10.3390/cleantechnol6030044
Environments
“Rare Earth Elements (REE): Origins, Dispersion, and Environmental Implications—A Comprehensive Review”
by Manfred Sager and Oliver Wiche
Environments 2024, 11(2), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11020024
Nitrogen
“Optimizing the Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Vegetable Crops”
by Hector Valenzuela
Nitrogen 2024, 5(1), 106-143; https://doi.org/10.3390/nitrogen5010008
Recycling
“Recent Trends of Recycling and Upcycling of Polymers and Composites: A Comprehensive Review”
by Christina Podara, Stefania Termine, Maria Modestou, Dionisis Semitekolos, Christos Tsirogiannis, Melpo Karamitrou, Aikaterini-Flora Trompeta, Tatjana Kosanovic Milickovic and Costas Charitidis
Recycling 2024, 9(3), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling9030037
Urban Science
“From Organic Wastes to Bioenergy, Biofuels, and Value-Added Products for Urban Sustainability and Circular Economy: A Review”
by Agapi Vasileiadou
Urban Sci. 2024, 8(3), 121; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci8030121
Safety
“Navigating the Power of Artificial Intelligence in Risk Management: A Comparative Analysis”
by Mohammad Yazdi, Esmaeil Zarei, Sidum Adumene and Amin Beheshti
Safety 2024, 10(2), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/safety10020042
Air
“Emission Characteristics and Potential Exposure Assessment of Aerosols and Ultrafine Particles at Two French Airports”
by Sébastien Artous, Eric Zimmermann, Cécile Philippot, Sébastien Jacquinot, Dominique Locatelli, Adeline Tarantini, Carey Suehs, Léa Touri and Simon Clavaguera
Air 2024, 2(1), 73-85; https://doi.org/10.3390/air2010005
Waste
“Identifying Priorities for the Development of Waste Management Systems in ASEAN Cities”
by Souphaphone Soudachanh, Alessio Campitelli and Stefan Salhofer
Waste 2024, 2(1), 102-121; https://doi.org/10.3390/waste2010006
Aerobiology
“Indoor Microclimatic Conditions and Air Pollutant Concentrations in the Archaeological Museum of Abdera, Greece”
by Glykeria Loupa, Georgios Dabanlis, Georgia Resta, Evangelia Kostenidou and Spyridon Rapsomanikis
Aerobiology 2024, 2(2), 29-43; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerobiology2020003