AI Insight
Carbon Brief analyzed its Cosmos database of over 40,000 institutions to identify the top 500 organizations for climate research based on publication counts. The ranking reveals that more than one-third of the leading institutions are based in the United States, while only 30 institutions from global south countries made the list, approximately half of which are in China. The analysis highlights geographic disparities in climate research output and institutional representation.
Why it matters
This ranking provides insight into the global distribution of climate research capacity and identifies potential vulnerabilities in the scientific infrastructure, particularly regarding U.S. institutional dominance and underrepresentation of global south countries. The findings underscore concerns about threats to climate science from political interference and the need for more geographically diverse research capacity.
Understand the Science
Analysis of Carbon Brief’s Cosmos database reveals the world’s leading “institutions” for climate research.
There are more than 40,000 institutions in the Cosmos database, ranging from universities and research laboratories, through to policy institutes and governmental bodies.
Carbon Brief has given each institution a “publication count”, by adding up the number of times that its experts appear in the author list of studies in the Cosmos database.
This analysis has allowed Carbon Brief to identify the 500 institutions with the highest publication count – as part of the Cosmos 500 rankings, which also includes authors and publications.
More than one third of institutions in the ranking are based in the US, underscoring the threat currently posed by the Trump administration’s attacks on climate science.
Meanwhile, there are only 30 institutions from global south countries in the Cosmos 500, around half of which are in China.
The post Carbon Brief’s ranking of the most highly cited institutions appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Source: Carbon Brief’s ranking of the most highly cited institutions