Digital Technologies and Climate Change Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Emerging Trends and Research Directions

Abstract* Background Digital technologies offer new opportunities to support climate change education, yet the intellectual structure, collaboration patterns, and relationships between technological approaches, pedagogies, and educational objectives remain insufficiently characterized. This study maps the development of research on digital technologies for climate change education and identifies priorities for future investigation. Methods A bibliometric analysis was conducted using Scopus-indexed publications retrieved on 18 August 2026. The search strategy combined terms related to climate change education, climate literacy, and digital technologies. Following screening and eligibility assessment, 323 documents published between 2006 and 2026 were included. Bibliometrix and VOSviewer were used to examine publication characteristics, influential contributors, institutional and country contributions, scientific collaboration, keyword co-occurrence, thematic structure, and temporal research trends. Results The dataset comprised 323 documents from 179 publication sources, involving 1,141 authors. The analysis identified contributions from diverse institutions and countries, reflecting the interdisciplinary and internationally connected nature of the field. Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed seven thematic clusters encompassing climate literacy and public understanding; technological and experiential learning; computational and interdisciplinary learning; adaptation and sustainability; communication and place-based applications; technology-supported pedagogy; and curriculum and teacher capacity. The thematic and temporal analyses highlighted connections between digital technologies, pedagogical approaches, and climate-related educational objectives. However, the network structure indicates conceptual associations rather than demonstrated educational effectiveness. Potential research priorities include integrating digital technologies with systems thinking, strengthening pedagogical frameworks for immersive learning, investigating artificial intelligence in climate literacy, and evaluating learning transfer and sustained climate-related action. Conclusions This study provides a bibliometric overview of digital technology research in climate change education and identifies opportunities for more theoretically grounded and empirically robust investigation. Future research should combine explicit instructional designs with multidimensional learning assessments, longitudinal evaluation, and attention to teacher readiness and equitable technology access.