Knowledge mapping of quantum computing for climate change research and sustainable innovation

The advent of quantum computing as a transformative computational paradigm in engineering drives substantial improvements in computational efficiency, predictive accuracy, and sustainability in technological development. Its integration into climate modeling revolutionizes the field by enabling high-precision climate simulations and optimizing climate-resilient strategies. The present research explores the evolving landscape, advancements, and challenges of climate science driven by quantum computing. This study presents a comprehensive scientometric and systematic review of quantum computing in climate, publications indexed in the Scopus database from 1992 to 2025. We conducted this study to comprehend the field’s developmental trajectory, research distribution, and emerging frontiers. A PRISMA-guided selection protocol ensures transparency and replicability while investigating publication patterns, international research collaborations, and keyword co-occurrence networks to identify interdisciplinary connections and key research trends using CiteSpace. Thematic cluster analysis identifies research hotspots across quantum simulation, climate-energy systems, hydrologic modeling, and high-performance computing. Citation burst detection and centrality metrics reveal the rapid emergence of topics such as quantum-enhanced forecasting, environmental optimization, and sustainable computing. Furthermore, the study synthesizes domain-level insights and outlines a quantum-specific research agenda spanning carbon capture, extreme event prediction, and hybrid quantum-classical climate models. The findings highlight the efficacy of quantum computing in high-precision climate simulations, advanced data processing, and the optimization of climate-resilient strategies. This research provides valuable insights into emerging directions, fosters global collaboration, and aims to guide well-informed decision-making while driving technological innovations that support environmental sustainability. This research offers a multidimensional view of the evolving quantum-climate research landscape and proposes future directions for sustainable, high-resolution environmental modeling.