Fifty Years of Climate Change Studies: A Scientometric Assessment

In recent times, climate change has become a crucial area of research, experiencing rapid growth in both interest and output. Consequently, there has been a surge in scientific literature addressing various aspects of this domain. To better understand the evolution, development, and current state of climate change study, it is essential to analyze the structure and trends within the existing body of work. Despite the increase in publications, comprehensive scientometric studies in this field remain scarce. Addressing this gap, this study conducts a scientometric analysis of 437,035 research documents related to climate change, indexed in Scopus, spanning the past 50 years (1972–2021). The analysis examines annual publication growth, subject categories, geographical and language distributions, and other bibliometric attributes. Furthermore, advanced analyses using the VOSviewer tool explore citation patterns, authorship trends, keyword associations, research contributions, and collaborative networks. This paper offers significant findings regarding publication trends, research impact, influential journals, leading scholars, prominent institutions, and contributing countries. By offering a comprehensive overview, the findings highlight emerging trends and directions that have shaped climate change research over the last five decades. These insights aim to support academics, research communities, organizations, and policymakers in making informed decisions to advance this field.