Environmental health journal halts new submissions amid funding shift, plans future outside federal support
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Environmental health journal halts new submissions amid funding shift, plans future outside federal support
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has stopped funding Environmental Health Perspectives. NIEHS will no longer provide funding for EHP. EHP will continue to publish peer-reviewed articles, but no new submissions will be accepted. The decision comes at a time of increased concern about the impact of climate change. The move could have a ripple effect on the rest of the scientific community.
Joel D. Kaufman writes for Environmental Health Perspectives.
In short:
Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) and the Journal of Health and Pollution (JHP) have paused new manuscript submissions due to the end of crucial operational funding from the National Institutes of Health.
EHP evolved significantly over the last five years, introducing faster peer review, new article types, and initiatives to engage early-career and international researchers, growing to over 600 submissions per quarter by 2025.
The journal’s future will shift away from NIEHS support but aims to maintain Open Access publication, editorial independence, and service to the environmental health science community.
Key quote:
“Given the uncertainty about our operational ability to continue publishing new papers, in April, both EHP and JHP made the difficult decision to stop accepting new submissions.”
— Joel D. Kaufman, editor-in-chief, Environmental Health Perspectives
Why this matters:
For over five decades, Environmental Health Perspectives has served as a key platform for research linking environmental exposures to human health. Its break from federal backing comes at a time of increasing global concern about environmental pollutants, climate-related health effects, and regulatory decision-making based on peer-reviewed science. The journal’s pause on new submissions reduces visibility for vital research, particularly from scientists in low- and middle-income countries who had recently gained more access to publishing through EHP programs. The shift also marks a broader trend in science publishing: As public funding tightens under the Trump administration, even long-standing, high-impact journals may struggle to sustain their operations, potentially narrowing the flow of independent science into public view and policy debates.
Related: Environmental health journal pauses new submissions amid NIH budget cuts