Call for papers: a Collection for the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities

As work on the IPCC’s Special Report on Climate Change and Cities begins, PLOS Climate is calling for papers for a new Collection designed to feed into the Special Report. The Collection will therefore cover a diverse range of themes, including (but not limited to):

Urban emissions sources and reduction
Urban and city-specific climate impacts, vulnerabilities and risks
Mitigation and adaptation in cities, including evaluation and metrics
Climate resilience across sectors and communities
Tipping points in urban systems
Urban climate psychology, behaviours and attitudes
Climate justice in the urban context and equity in just transitions
Multi-level governance of climate change in cities
Data and information for urban climate action
Knowledge gaps and uncertainties

Whilst this project is being led by Section Editors Benjamin Bechtel and Negin Nazarian of our Urban Climate section, we welcome submissions on relevant topics to any of PLOS Climate‘s sections; multidisciplinary perspectives are essential in the effort to address climate change in our cities. Similarly, we warmly encourage contributions from all global regions, and aim to feature evidence and viewpoints drawn from a wide range of geographical and cultural contexts.

In addition to original Research Articles, we welcome proposals for Opinions, Reviews and Essays. Please contact Executive Editor Jamie Males if you would like to propose a submission under one of these article types. Please note that submissions under all article types other than Opinions are subject to full peer review.

The submission deadline for this Collection is 31st July 2026.

If you’re ready to submit, please follow our standard submission process, and mention in your cover letter and on the submission form that your manuscript is for our Climate Change and Cities Collection.