Bibliometric Analysis of Research on Climate Change and the COVID-19 Pandemic

The convergence of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified global challenges, leading to a growing body of interdisciplinary research aimed at understanding their interconnected impacts on health, the environment, and society. However, a comprehensive overview of this evolving research landscape has been lacking. This study conducts a bibliometric analysis to map global research trends, key contributors, thematic focus areas, and the intellectual structure of literature on the impact of climate change on COVID-19. The English-language journal articles published between 2020 and 2025 were identified through a systematic Boolean search using the Scopus database. Descriptive statistics were utilized to determine publication output, authorship, institutional affiliation, journal distribution, and country-level contributions. Besides, to explore thematic developments and research linkages over, the time keyword co-occurrence networks, overlay visualizations, and co-citation analyses were generated. The findings indicate a surge in publications peaking in 2022, followed by a gradual decline. The most prominent subject areas included Environmental Science, Social Sciences, and Medicine. Initial research mainly focused on environmental indicators, including air pollution and carbon emissions, while more recent studies have turned to social and health-related issues, such as mental health, education, and vaccination. Besides, the United States, the United Kingdom, and China are the most active publishing nations, which have substantial institutional contributions from respected research organizations. This study provides a comprehensive overview of how the academic community has explored the association of climate change and pandemic-related challenges, offering valuable insights into the evolution of research priorities. The findings emphasize the critical need for interdisciplinary collaboration and integrated policy frameworks to effectively address the multifaceted risks associated with global health and environmental crises.