Knowledge Mapping of Planetary Boundaries based on Bibliometrics Analysis

Abstract There are an increasing number of academic researches and sustainable development policies focusing on planetary boundaries. However, no research has been conducted to far on drawing scientific investigation map of planetary boundaries. Therefore, this paper conducted a scientometric analysis of 530 academic publications and their 1784 references on planetary boundaries from 2009 to 2021 by visualizing the social network, dual-map overlay, co-cited references, structure variation article, and co-occurrence keywords with Citespace. The results show that as a new achievement and paradigm in the field of sustainable development research, the planetary boundaries framework is gradually getting global attention and promotion, which increasingly becomes an interdisciplinary hot research topic. The most productive authors and institutions are concentrated in England, the United States, Germany, and Sweden. Relevant articles were mainly published in journals focusing on ecology, earth, marine, veterinary, animal, economics and politics, as represented by the dual-map overlay. In addition, we summarized three predominant research themes by clustering keywords: the calculation of single boundary threshold and present value, the integration with assessment methods such as life cycle assessment and footprint families, the downscaling of planetary boundaries, and the expansion to economic and social domains. For scholars interested in this topic, this paper would be a useful reference and guideline.