COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the global economy in 2020. The new “dual cycle” pattern pushes the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) into a new stage of development. Under the influence of the pandemic, many countries attach increasing importance to the protection of natural environment and sustainable development. BRI, as a platform for international cooperation and exchanges, should pay more attention to the identification and governance of environmental risks. Using factor analysis and cluster analysis, this paper constructs an index system of environmental risk assessment. Six economic corridors, and 63 sample countries, are used to analyze the environmental risk types. The results show that: (1) Factors of environmental risk include levels of energy dependence, environmental friendliness, ecological sustainability, vulnerability of the audience and energy utilization validity; (2)The environmental risks of BRI countries can be categorized into five types, namely as “energy surplus”, “resource compact”, “unsustainable environment”, “protective environment” and “extensive environment”; (3) The environmental risk types of the six economic corridors are distinct. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate environmental governance strategies according to different geographies and risk types, so asto improve the pertinence of economic investment and policies. Future research of global and regional relevance should take into the account of these environmental risk types of BRI countries to help realize the UN 2030 sustainable development goals (SDGs).