Environmental pollution, especially air and water pollution, is one of the great challenges of humanity today. The increasing population, industrialization and excessive consumption of natural resources have led to the release of various pollutants in the environment. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of nanoparticle materials with porous structures and high specific surface area, which have been considered as novel adsorbents for the removal of environmental pollutants due to their unique properties. MOFs can adsorb a wide range of pollutants from the environment, including greenhouse gases, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and dyes. Using MOFs to remove environmental pollutants and produce clean energy is a new and sustainable approach to solve environmental challenges. The innovation of this paper is that, for the first time, the relationship between the efficiency of MOFs in pollutant removal and their potential for clean energy production is systematically analyzed and compared. This approach not only provides a comprehensive review of recent advances, but also illuminates future research directions by highlighting the challenges and opportunities ahead.