Higher education institutions catalyzing climate action: bibliometric review and future perspectives

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how higher education institutions (HEIs), from different contexts, catalyze the consolidation of climate action in their territories. Design/methodology/approach A bibliometric and systematic review of the literature was run to map the performance of HEIs and their contribution to climate action. Findings The results showed that research around the topics of higher education and climate change has been growing, especially since 2007 and, in the past decade, the research focus is leaning towards learning and educational aspects. Originality/value This study also identified research gaps, especially the need to explore the potential of climate action promoted by the dimension of outreach. Finally, the research contributes to the understanding of the impacts of HEIs on global climate action, guides future efforts and supports future research to fill in the research gaps.