The Lancet Planetary Health

The Lancet Planetary Health is a peer-reviewed, open-access medical journal established to address intersections among public health, environmental science, and global sustainability debates. It was founded as a thematic sibling within the Lancet family to foreground research that connects human health outcomes with planetary-scale processes tracked by institutions such as the World Health Organization, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and United Nations Environment Programme. The journal situates articles alongside major initiatives by organizations like the Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation.

History

The journal launched in 2017 amid heightened attention from actors such as United Nations, G7, G20, European Commission, and advisory bodies like the Royal Society to link environmental change to health policy. Founding editorial leadership drew on networks around Richard Horton, Anthony Fauci, Margaret Chan, and thematic editors with ties to Imperial College London, Harvard University, and University of Cambridge. Early issues responded to reports from the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, the IPBES assessments, and high-profile crises such as the 2015–16 El Niño, the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season, and the 2014–2016 West African Ebola epidemic. The journal has published work connected to initiatives at the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Scope and Aims

The journal's remit spans topics linking anthropogenic change to human health, engaging literature tied to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Convention on Biological Diversity, and Paris Agreement negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It solicits research relevant to policymakers at the European Parliament, United States Congress, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and ministries in nations such as India, Brazil, and South Africa. The aims align with thematic work from World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Children's Fund, and research funders like the National Institutes of Health, Natural Environment Research Council, and European Research Council. Topics include analyses intersecting with datasets and programs from NASA, NOAA, European Space Agency, and conservation efforts by World Wide Fund for Nature, Conservation International, and The Nature Conservancy.

Editorial Structure and Publication Model

The editorial board features academics and practitioners affiliated with institutions including London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, Yale University, Peking University, and University of Cape Town. Editorial processes mirror peer-review frameworks used by journals such as The Lancet, Nature Climate Change, and BMJ, and incorporate contributions from statisticians linked to Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, RAND Corporation, and World Resources Institute. Publishing operations interact with corporate and academic partners like Elsevier, RELX Group, and research funders including the Wellcome Trust and Gates Foundation. The open-access model situates the journal alongside titles from Public Library of Science and BMC series, with article processing charges comparable to those charged by Nature Research. Special issues and commissions have been organized in partnership with initiatives led by C40 Cities, ICLEI, Global Climate and Health Alliance, and the Lancet Countdown.

Notable Articles and Impact

The journal has published influential pieces referencing events and entities such as the COVID-19 pandemic, analyses of air pollution episodes like the 2013 Southeast Asian haze, and syntheses relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals endorsed by United Nations General Assembly. High-citation articles have drawn on collaborations with researchers from Columbia University, University of Oxford, University of Melbourne, McGill University, and ETH Zurich, and engaged datasets from Global Burden of Disease Study, MODIS, ERA5, and Landsat programs. Policy-relevant commentaries have been cited in briefings to the World Health Assembly, submissions to the European Commission Green Deal, and recommendations for national strategies in United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. The journal’s commissioned series have intersected with work by Lancet Countdown, Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission, and advisory reports for the United Nations Secretary-General.

Indexing, Metrics, and Criticism

The journal is indexed in major services such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, and its metrics are tracked by bodies like Clarivate Analytics and platforms including Google Scholar and Dimensions. Impact measurements have prompted comparisons with outlets like Nature, Science, The Lancet, and The BMJ, while debates about editorial independence have invoked relationships between publishers such as Elsevier and funders including the Wellcome Trust and Gates Foundation. Criticism has arisen in contexts debated by commentators in forums associated with Chatham House, Brookings Institution, and International Institute for Environment and Development, and in academic discussions involving scholars at University of Oxford and University of Cambridge over priorities in planetary health research. Debates have also referenced tensions seen in past controversies involving Science and Nature Climate Change over replication, conflict of interest, and policy advocacy.

Category:Academic journals