International Collaboration in the Field of Environmental Protection: Trend Analysis and COVID-19 Implications

Abstract

This paper focuses on the analysis of current cooperation trends in environmental protection research. A unified system of interrelations between research methods in the field of implementation of the bibliometric approach to the review of international cooperation in the field of environmental protection taking into account the consequences of the COVID-2019 pandemic was formed. To form a unified visualization of the analyzed bibliometric data, a special software product VOSViewer was used. Five clusters were defined: green—international cooperation for assessing risks to public health, in particular in the field of biosafety and the spread of social infections, with a focus on COVID-19, in 2019 and 2020; yellow—describes the related interaction between other clusters in the field of national and international mechanisms of cooperation in the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change; blue—brings together research areas in the field of economics of environmental management and control. The situation concerning the impact of the COVID-2019 pandemic is ambiguous, and it is crucial to recognize that this is a long-term period of impact, not only directly on public health but also due to economic and social constraints, as quarantine activities cause a chain of socio-economic crises. The problems of the environmental and economic spread of COVID-19 on various human activities and the environment require the development of this topic and the formation of a new cluster of interactions due to the wave dynamics of disease in the future. Broad cooperation and collaboration is proposed to address the challenges and accelerate sustainable development in Europe. A diagram of the main cooperation programs has been created, illustrating the overlap of the entire field, from basic research to the market. Further analytical studies will examine the effectiveness of cross-analysis using various scientometric databases to form an integrated approach to the new realities of quarantine activities.