20 Years of the Kyoto Protocol: Profile and Behavior in Brazilian Academia From the Perspective of Social Network Analysis

Objective: To investigate the profile and behavior of scientific production of articles published in Brazilian journals on the topic of the Kyoto Protocol in light of social network analysis. Theoretical Framework: The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement that provides for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through flexible mechanisms, and is therefore considered an important environmental commitment made by many countries. Method: The Scientific Periodicals Electronic Library (SPELL) and the social network analysis research technique were used as the database for the search for articles. The search identified 31 articles that were investigated using sociometric indicators: (i) two-mode social networks composed of periods and authors; (ii) two-mode social networks composed of periodicals and authors; (iii) social networks of authors; (iv) social networks of institutions; (v) social networks of citations; and (vi) social networks of keywords. Results and Discussion: Stagnation of the topic in Brazilian scientific literature. The most central actors were: Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental as a periodical; José Célio Silveira Andrade as a researcher; University of São Paulo as an institution; Ignez Guatimosin Vidigal Lopes, Marcelo Theoto Rocha, Mari Elizabete Bernardini Seiffert, Andréa Cardoso Ventura and José Carlos Barbieri as the most cited authors in the environmental area; sustainable development, carbon credits, clean development mechanism, sustainability, environmental accounting, Latin America and renewable energy as keywords. Research Implications: Provide understanding to authors about the theoretical evolution and intellectual structure to conduct future research in this field of knowledge, on the topic of the Kyoto Protocol in the Brazilian scientific scenario from the perspective of journals indexed in the SPELL database. Originality/Value: This research concludes by highlighting the Kyoto Protocol theme from the perspective of social networks, analyzing the structure and formation of the networks of actors involved in the process of construction and creation of scientific value regarding the referenced theme, thus contributing to its better understanding and, consequently, comprehension, consequently influencing its possible evolution in the academic literature of Brazil.