Use of Lime plaster in naturally ventilated spaces and its associated risk for mould growth

Posted by Vismaya Paralkar and Rashmin Damle on 2024-10-08

In today's rapidly evolving construction industry, we've observed a shift towards unsustainable materials, with lime being replaced by cement plaster. However, it's important to recognize the significance of using lime plaster, especially in the restoration of historical buildings, to maintain their original character. Despite the prevailing dominance of cement plaster in the market, our interest [...]

Peer Review Week 2024 - A conversation with Yasemin Aktas

Posted by UCL Open Environment Editorial Office on 2024-09-30

This year, to mark Peer Review Week, UCL Open: Environment sat down with Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Yasemin Aktas (UCL, London) for a brief conversation on Open Peer Review. There seems to be a challenge in the scholarly community to secure a peer review, how do you select reviewers for each paper? Expertise in the topic is key, although in a cross/interdisciplinary context such as the UCL O:E [...]

Innovation and Technology in Open Peer Review: Shaping the Future of Scholarly Publishing

Posted by UCL Open Environment Editorial Office on 2024-09-25

As we celebrate Peer Review Week 2024, the theme of “Innovation and Technology in Peer Review” invites us to reflect on how new tools and practices are transforming this critical component of scholarly communication. Traditional peer review has long been the cornerstone of academic publishing, ensuring that research is rigorously vetted before it reaches publication. However, the system has its [...]

Bring back the front garden: Developing interventions for healthier communities

Posted by Ayşe Lisa Allison on 2024-06-11

We are excited to share our paper, “Promoting planting in front gardens: a systematic approach to intervention development,” published by UCL Open: Environment. With this article, we wish to highlight the numerous benefits of gardening in front gardens and outline some potential intervention recommendations that could encourage this practice. Additionally, we aim to highlight the importance of [...]

Environmental migrants as a concern for the European Union? Not anymore.

Posted by Lucia Wirthová on 2024-05-23

With my article titled “Environmentally driven migration in EU discourse: norms, policies, and realities” published by UCL Open: Environment I hope to contribute to the understanding about a disputed phenomenon, i.e. environmental migration, that has been linked to the consequences of climate change and environmental degradation, and which has been said to threaten the EU by influxes of millions [...]

Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Posted by Prof Dan Osborn, Editor-in-Chief, UCL Open: Environment on 2024-02-06

Since launching in 2019, UCL Open Environment has come a long way. Having established ourselves in the academic literature (e.g. receiving indexing in the DOAJ, CABI, PMC, and many others), we now look to the future and reminded ourselves of our firm commitment to open science, open peer review, and to reducing the barriers to equitable publishing. It is our aim that this unique combination [...]

1.5 degrees looks to be inevitable in the next few years – weren’t we supposed to stay below it?

Posted by Prof Dan Osborn, Editor-in-Chief, UCL Open: Environment on 2024-02-06

Posted on June 15, 2023How does the media read climate science and present it to the public and consequently to decision-makers? In this post, UCL Open: Environment Editor-in-Chief, Prof Dan Osborn highlights the way scientific climate research is disseminated for public consumption through the media. Why 1.5°C mattersThe BBC recently issued a climate-related story and [...]

Expected or not? The UK’s exceptional record-breaking weather

Posted by Prof Dan Osborn, Editor-in-Chief, UCL Open Environment on 2024-02-06

Posted on July 25, 2022Post by Professor Dan Osborn, Chair of Human Ecology, Earth Sciences, at UCL (University College London, UK) and Editor-in-Chief of the UCL Press journal UCL Open: EnvironmentIn June 2021, when the evidence report for the 3rd UK climate risk assessment (CCRA3) was released, talk was of southern England summer temperatures over 40°C being experienced sometime [...]

Now indexed in PubMed Central!

Posted by UCL Open Environment Editorial Office on 2023-11-09

Following a rigorous evaluation process, UCL Open Environment is thrilled to announce it has been accepted for indexing in PubMed Central. Researchers wishing to publish in the journal and funded by the Wellcome Trust, MRC and BBSRC, NIHR and the NIH (as well as many others all across the world) will meet open access policy requirements and be indexed automatically in the PubMed Central database [...]

Calls for Papers

Posted by UCL Open Environment Editorial Office on 2023-11-09

Throughout the year, UCL Open: Environment launches a number of thematic special series exploring the journals aims and scope. Details of each special series and its calls for papers can be found in the below links. This page is kept up-to-date with all current special series calls for papers.UCL Open Environment and the UNFCCC/COPUCL Open: Environment is opening a call for papers for research [...]

Multidisciplinary research in UCL Open Environment

Posted by UCL Open Environment Editorial Office on 2023-08-03

Only by sharing academic research as openly and widely as possible – with, for example, researchers, educators, students, policymakers, partners and members of the public – can its benefits to humanity be maximised. The traditional scholarly publication system is not suited to, nor does it intend to serve, this purpose. UCL Open is a further innovative step towards delivering our ambitions in [...]

Open letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Posted by UCL Open Environment Editorial Office on 2023-08-03

UCL Open: Environment – why are we doing this?Very shortly humanity needs to begin solving the planetary problems caused by humanity’s activities and moving towards making the world a better place for all its citizens. 10 billion people can’t be provided with the energy, water and food they need without such an effort.For example, by 2020 or soon thereafter, emissions of greenhouse gases must [...]