In my view, a new scientific journal should not be limited to publishing papers alone. It should also be actively involved in organizing conferences. There are several reasons for this.First, conferences are essential for building a strong and high-quality content base for the journal. One option is simply to wait for manuscripts to be submitted. Another is to actively shape the scientific agenda. Conferences require long-term preparation, and their outcome can be a substantial number of well-developed, genuinely interesting scientific papers.
Second, the journal Pollution and Diseases has clearly defined priority topics, and its founders have their own research interests. We are deliberately working to advance specific research directions, and in this context, organizing conferences is highly desirable.
Third, the journal takes an active role in supporting and coordinating expedition-based research. This is not only about deciding what and where to study. There are also new theoretical and methodological approaches emerging. Pollution and disease represent a highly dynamic research field, one that continuously generates new scientific questions. Conferences of this type are extremely important for organizing effective expeditionary research according to modern scientific standards.
Finally, conferences play a crucial role in forming international research teams. In Europe, the United States, and Canada, building expert groups is generally feasible. However, when research extends to Africa, parts of Asia, or the post-Soviet region, significant challenges arise. These challenges are not limited to the level of scientific infrastructure.
The post-Soviet space is a clear example. It inherited a very strong scientific system from the Soviet era—but, in many cases, time effectively stopped. Many active scientists left, while those who remained often preserved outdated structures and practices. If you want to see old cars still dominating everyday life, you go to Cuba. If you want to see what science looked like in the early to mid-1980s, you engage with many post-Soviet scientific institutions. Despite the abundance of academic institutes, universities, and PhD holders, the system is often inefficient.
Yet the problems originating in the post-Soviet space extend far beyond the region itself. Research on pollution and disease cannot be conducted effectively without truly international teams. Ignoring this reality is not an option—particularly when considering issues such as the environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine.
For these reasons, Pollution and Diseases will pursue an active policy of organizing scientific conferences as an integral part of its mission.
Dmitry Nikolaenko