Application Status, Hotspots, and Future Trends of Artificial Intelligence in the Field of Sustainable Environmental Governance

Amidst  the  increasingly  severe  global  environmental  crisis,  the  application  of artificial   intelligence   (AI)   in   the   fields   of  environmental   governance   and   sustainable development has become a hot topic in current scientific research and practice. The complexity and urgency of environmental issues have made the integration of AI technology particularly important  and  pressing.  To  comprehensively  understand  the  research  status,  hotspots,  and future trends in this field, this study employed Citespace and VOSviewer literature analysis tools to construct a knowledge map based on data from 2004 to 2024. The analysis results reveal that, in terms of research regions, Asia (especially China) has made the most significant contributions, while North America and Europe (particularly the United States and some EU countries) have closely collaborated, forming the core research regions. The top five authors in terms  of  publication  volume  are  Liu  J,  Vinuesa  R,  Nishant  R,  Bag  S,  and  Benzidia  S. Regarding research hotspots, the current themes in this field focus on four clusters: intelligent management  and  green  innovation  for  performance  lifecycle  assessment,  smart  cities  and sustainable development, and AI-enabled environmental management. These highlight the vast potential of AI in enhancing environmental governance efficiency and promoting sustainable development.  As  for  future  trends,  the  number  of publications  in  this  field  has  shown  a continuous upward trend in recent years, with predictions indicating that future research will continue to concentrate on keywords such as AI, life cycle, assessment, and the Internet of Things.  In  summary,  AI  is  forming  an  active  and  expanding  field  within  environmental governance, and future research will deepen understanding of the topic, explore the integration of  AI  with  environmental  science,  address  global  challenges,  and  drive  environmental governance towards a smart, efficient, and sustainable direction.