How Sustainable is Environmental Economics? A Review of Research Trends and Implications

Abstract

Embarking on a comprehensive review of the Environmental Economics literature, we employed a bibliometric approach to gather 6,118 articles published between 1993 and 2023 from Scopus-indexed journals. Utilizing a suite of software tools, including RStudio, VOSviewer, and Excel, we conducted a thorough examination of data to identify the leading contributors in the realm of Environmental Economics, categorized by nations, institutions, sources, documents, and authors. This study unveiled a significant upward trend in publications, particularly since 2017. This underscores the expanding applications of Environmental Economics across a multitude of domains, encompassing Sustainability, Environmental Footprints, Carbon Emissions, Climate Impact, Navigating Environmental Governance, Policies for Sustainable Futures, Economic Approaches, and Environmental Sustainability. Interestingly, China, the United States, and the United Kingdom emerged as the predominant contributors to the subject’s literature. These findings offer valuable insights for stakeholders, particularly in illustrating how environmental economics could influence their decision-making processes.