Analysis of Hotspots and Trends in the Research on Carbon Sink of Urban Blue-Green Space

In recent years, urban carbon emission has become a key issue restricting the sustainable development of cities. Urban blue-green space plays an important role in carbon emission reduction and carbon sink increase thanks to the outstanding carbon sink potential and sink increase efficiency thereof. Based on the periodical articles included in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Web of Science databases during the period from 1992 to 2021, this research conducts necessary statistics using bibliometric software and, in the theme of “urban blue-green space” and “carbon sink”, analyzes the current status of and hotspots and trends in the research on carbon sink of urban blue-green space reflected in both Chinese and foreign-language literature. The results show that: 1) The number of articles published in Chinese and foreign language achieves a gradual increase, with Chinese research institutions performing more prominently in international cooperation networks; 2) in the field of carbon sink research in urban blue-green spaces, the hotspots of researches in Chinese literature mainly include low-carbon cities, carbon sinks in urban green spaces and carbon sink benefits, while the hotspots of researches in foreign literature mainly include carbon sink estimation, carbon sink management and carbon sink impact mechanisms; 3) researches in Chinese literature focus on theoretical structures and the establishment of evaluation systems, while researches in foreign-language literature is more concerned with methodological exploration and practical application; 4) improving the research framework on carbon sinks in urban blue-green space, carrying out multi-dimensional research on biodiversity and human health and well-being under the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, carrying out integrated research on carbon sinks in urban blue-green space systems, and strengthening the methods for measuring, evaluating and optimizing carbon sinks in urban blue-green spaces will become hotspots for future development.