Editor in chief since 2020, John M. Meyer is now ending his tenure. However, he is leaving Environmental Politics stronger than ever, and with an exciting new editorial team.
As 2023 drew to a close, so did my term as editor-in-chief. When I started in this position in June 2020, I was interviewed by our social media editor for this blog. Looking back on the plans and goals we discussed then, I’m proud of our many achievements and successes. Our team has implemented important changes, while maintaining a sense of continuity during a time of great disruption.
A central commitment during my tenure has been to amplify voices that weren’t heard often enough in the journal. This has involved encouraging the best work by scholars in, and writing about, the Global South, as well as promoting more critical and oft-marginalized perspectives. We’re seeing meaningful progress in this regard and I believe this can create a virtuous cycle leading to more diverse voices in the future.
As I step away from the role of editor-in-chief, I am joined by colleagues Sikina Jinnah and Graeme Hayes, who have been collaborators throughout almost all of my seven and a half years working with EP. Both are talented scholars and editors from whom I’ve learned a tremendous amount. While the three of us are departing, three other valued colleagues — David Konisky as incoming editor-in-chief, Prakash Kashwan, and Sherilyn MacGregor — will carry on. I’m thrilled that they will be joined by four fantastic new editors: Clare Saunders, Louisa Parks, Xue Gao, and Liam Beiser-McGrath.
This team will lead EP from a position of real strength. Submissions are up, global readership has grown considerably, and impact metrics for the past several years have consistently placed us in the top tier of journals in both political science and environmental studies. I am confident that the journal will continue to thrive, playing an integral role in the development of environmental politics scholarship.
