Application Status, Hotspots, and Future Trends of Artificial Intelligence in the Field of Sustainable Environmental Governance

Amidst the increasingly severe global environmental crisis, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the fields of environmental governance and sustainable development has become a hot topic in current scientific research and practice. The complexity and urgency of environmental issues have made the integration of AI technology particularly important and pressing. To comprehensively understand the research status, hotspots, and future trends in this field, this study employed Citespace and VOSviewer literature analysis tools to construct a knowledge map based on data from 2004 to 2024. The analysis results reveal that, in terms of research regions, Asia (especially China) has made the most significant contributions, while North America and Europe (particularly the United States and some EU countries) have closely collaborated, forming the core research regions. The top five authors in terms of publication volume are Liu J, Vinuesa R, Nishant R, Bag S, and Benzidia S. Regarding research hotspots, the current themes in this field focus on four clusters: intelligent management and green innovation for performance lifecycle assessment, smart cities and sustainable development, and AI-enabled environmental management. These highlight the vast potential of AI in enhancing environmental governance efficiency and promoting sustainable development. As for future trends, the number of publications in this field has shown a continuous upward trend in recent years, with predictions indicating that future research will continue to concentrate on keywords such as AI, life cycle, assessment, and the Internet of Things. In summary, AI is forming an active and expanding field within environmental governance, and future research will deepen understanding of the topic, explore the integration of AI with environmental science, address global challenges, and drive environmental governance towards a smart, efficient, and sustainable direction.