Trends in Research on the Carbon Footprint of Economic Growth: A Bibliometric Analysis

Honglie Zhang (), Hadi Mareeh (), Fozi Ali Belhaj (), Saddam A. Hazaea (), Ning Liu (), Moodhi Raid () and Mohammed Hael ()
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Honglie Zhang: Yunnan University of Finance and Economics
Hadi Mareeh: Shandong University
Fozi Ali Belhaj: Arab Open University
Saddam A. Hazaea: Southwestern University of Finance and Economics
Ning Liu: Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce
Moodhi Raid: Al Yamamah Universit
Mohammed Hael: Yunnan University of Finance and Economics

Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2025, vol. 16, issue 5, No 24, 16237-16282

Abstract: Abstract The need to reduce carbon emissions has become a topic of increasing interest. This study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of 1814 articles indexed in the Scopus database to evaluate research trends on the carbon footprint of economic growth based on countries, journals, institutions, most productive authors, co-citation, and keyword co-occurrence. The results show that articles related to the carbon footprint of economic growth developed through three stages, as the number of publications witnessed an explosion after 2017. China, the United States of America (USA), and the United Kingdom (UK) were the countries that produced the most papers, publishing 67.31% of the overall number of publications. Few authors from Australia, China, and Pakistan have played important roles in contributing to research in this field. The “Journal of Cleaner Production” was the most productive for high quality and most cited. The results also showed that human capital and renewable energy reduce the carbon footprint and environmental degradation, while the impact of economic growth on the carbon footprint varies from region to another. This research contributes to clarifying publication evolution, identifying areas of current research interest, and identifying potential directions for future research. This contribution in turn helps decision-makers develop effective strategies to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable economic growth.

Keywords: Carbon footprint; Economic growth; Bibliometric analysis; Network analysis; Scopus database (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s13132-024-02556-x

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