Towards increased influence on policy- and decision-making

Research published in PLOS’s environmental journals is of real significance to decision-makers at every level of society, from governments to individuals. In the context of interwoven planetary crises, the translation of research findings into practical applications and evidence-based decision-making is of special urgency in the environmental sciences, and our journals have an active and important role to play at this interface.

To this end, PLOS Climate, PLOS Sustainability and Transformation and PLOS Water have embarked on a collaborative project aimed at developing the journals as dynamic forums for driving environmental policy and decision-making. We plan to work with authors and editors to highlight the relevance of the research we publish to policy and practice, to strengthen connections between academic and societal stakeholders, and to facilitate contributions to key international assessments and reports.

As a first step, editors from the three journals have been meeting to map out our shared priorities in this space. We would like to thank the following people for taking part in these conversations: Emma Archer, Editor-in-Chief of PLOS Climate; Lian Pin Koh, Editor-in-Chief of PLOS Sustainability and Transformation; Jenna Davis and Pierre Horwitz, Editors-in-Chief of PLOS Water; Pam McElwee and Anjal Prakash, PLOS Climate Section Editors; Winston Chow and Brendan Fisher, PLOS Sustainability and Transformation Section Editors; and Cameron Holley, PLOS Water Section Editor.

Keep up-to-date by subscribing to the journal newsletters or checking the Latitude blog for more news on this initiative in the months ahead! In the meantime, all three journals continue to warmly encourage submissions of research that will inform evidence-based policy- and decision-making.