Examining the nexus between productivity growth, circular bioeconomy, and climate change: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

The impact of productivity growth on climate change is multifaceted, with consequences for resource consumption, emissions, and overall ecological balance. Simultaneously, the emergence of the circular bioeconomy introduces a framework emphasizing the sustainable utilization of renewable biological resources. This study explores a quantitative approach using bibliometric analysis of Web of Science datasets. The examination of 7863 scientific documents enabled the identification of significant scientific clusters, trend topics, factorial analysis, and thematic evolution from 1990 to 2024 related to the studied fields. The findings indicate that the most important link between the three investigated axes lies in managing natural resources such as soil and water, which are key components of agricultural productivity and are directly impacted by climate change. In this sense, the sustainable use of these resources is a significant factor in mitigating the effects of climate change while fostering resilience in agricultural food systems. Since 2016, scientific publications about the topics have increased significantly in the Global North and South. Based on the co-occurrence of keywords, five clusters with different levels of importance can be distinguished: (1) soil and water use efficiency, (2) productivity impacts, (3) management impacts, (4) biomass, and (5) climate change. These findings are significant since the major trending researched topics suggested will be those concerned with resource vulnerability, soil conservation and application of microorganisms, density dependence, and efficient use of resources. By synthesizing these findings, our study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the current state of research, identifying potential gaps and areas for future exploration.