Trends and Evolution in environmental communication: Bibliometric insights from the web 2.0 era

Environmental communication explores how humans interact with nature and reshape their environments. This paper investigates research trends, themes, and academic contributions in this domain, focusing on bibliometric analysis of literature published during the Web 2.0 era (2004-July 2024). Based on predetermined criteria, 604 articles were retrieved from the Scopus database for analysis. Using VOS viewer and Biblioshiny (R Studio), the study mapped keywords, conducted cartographic analysis, thematic mapping, and keyword clustering, highlighting the impact, influence, and evolution of environmental communication research. Findings indicate a decline in articles on this subject after 2022, while interest in citizen science and visual communication topics has grown since 2016. This research enriches the field by offering a detailed analysis of the most influential authors and countries contributing to environmental communication studies. It provides valuable insights into emerging trends and areas of focus within the discipline.