Two Decades Of Planetary Health And Environmental Research: A Global Bibliometric Analysis (2004–2024)

INTRODUCTION: Planetary health, ecohealth, and environmental health have emerged as key research domains that adopt an interdisciplinary approach to global health challenges by addressing the direct and indirect impacts of environmental change on human health. The study aims to evaluate how these concepts have evolved in the academic literature between 2004 and 2024, main thematic focuses and the geographical distribution of scientific output.
METHODS: Data were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection database, and Bibliometrix (R package) and Biblioshiny interface were used in the analysis. The 9347 publications were evaluated. Conceptual clusters and thematic transitions over time were also included in the analysis.
RESULTS: The analysis showed that there has been a significant increase in publications in the literature, especially after 2015. Five main conceptual areas were identified in the thematic analysis: (1) climate change and heat stress, (2) ecosystem health and biodiversity, (3) sustainability and resilience, (4) health systems and risk assessment, (5) zoonotic diseases and public health policies.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The planetary health literature is gaining momentum as a critical field for in terms of global health. Our findings suggest significant implications for global health policy design, particularly for strengthening planetary health governance in underrepresented regions.