Global Trend and Developments in Enviromental Law Research in Light of Maqasid al-Shariah: A Bibliometric Analysis from 1975 to 2024

Abstract

Environmental law is a continuously evolving branch of law that focuses on the relationship between humans and nature, as well as environmental protection efforts for future sustainability. This study aims to analyze the development of research in the field of environmental law over nearly five decades (1975-2024) using data from the Scopus database through a bibliometric analysis approach, while also examining the relevance of this global trend within the framework of Maqadih al-Shariah. This study identifies publication trends, contributions by authors, institutions, and countries, as well as dominant research themes in environmental law studies. The analysis results show a significant increase in the number of publications, especially after 2000, with the United States being the most productive country in this research. Substantively, these findings show that global environmental legal efforts are very much in line with the basic objectives of Islamic law, especially in protecting life (hifz an-nafs), descendants (hifz an-nasl), and property (hifz al-mal). In addition, the involvement of communities, environmental organizations, and individuals is key to sustainable environmental management. These findings are expected to serve as a reference for researchers and policymakers in designing effective strategies to address current global environmental challenges.