<p>Environmental science and sustainability rely heavily on innovation, knowledge exchange, and collaboration. Addressing sustainability and environmental challenges requires interdisciplinary research and global cooperation. This study employed a bibliometric approach to collect critical information and provide guidance on past research and shifts in research interest within the field of sustainability&#xa0;science. The analysis utilized published literature from the Web of Science databases, covering the period from 1972 to 2023, to gain a better understanding of developments and trends at the research frontiers. The quantitative distribution and analysis of the literature were conducted using information visualization technology. This analysis included metrics of productivity, collaboration, authorship, and contributions from various countries and institutions. The most productive countries were primarily the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The United States has actively collaborated with China and has also engaged significantly with other countries, including the UK, Germany, Canada, and Australia, on a global scale. The top research frontiers, based on keywords, meso-citation, and micro-citation topics, were climate change, sustainability science, and evapotranspiration, respectively. Climate Action (SDG 13) emerged as the most dominant goal in environmental science and sustainability research. Statistical findings emphasize that collaborative efforts are crucial for shaping environmental science knowledge and its potential implications for sustainability. This review provides readers with comprehensive insights into the prominent literature landscape, global collaboration networks, and research themes and patterns in sustainability research on a global scale.</p>