Effectiveness of Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies Implementation in Enhancement of Livelihood Capital: Evidence from a Systematic Review

Abstract

Climate change adversities such as floods, droughts and heatwaves have become among the threats to human development and livelihood sustainability in vulnerable communities. Many developing countries have policies such as National Climate policies, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) to combat climate change through the implementation of both mitigation and adaptation strategies to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 11 and 13, although evidence on the effectiveness of implemented strategies in generating tangible livelihood outcomes remains limited. A systematic literature review was conducted using the PRISMA to review secondary data on the extent to which climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies have enhanced the five livelihood capital (financial, social, human, natural and physical) in climate-vulnerable communities globally. The review suggests that various implemented strategies such as Community-Based Adaptation (CBA), Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA), renewable energy diversification, and disaster risk reduction initiatives have enhanced some livelihood capitals across various communities. Although few studies explicitly examine how these strategies enhance Sustainable Livelihood Framework capital, they report that adopting various climate strategies reduces poverty and improves livelihood sustainability. Findings also demonstrate evidence of maladaptation, donor dependency, inadequate scaling, weak institutional coordination and social inequities (gender-related exclusions). The review concludes that effective climate strategy implementation requires simultaneous application of complementary mitigation and adaptation approaches by integrating Indigenous Local Knowledge, comprehensive community involvement and stakeholder coordination. These findings carry important implications for policymakers, development partners and researchers seeking to strengthen the evidence base for scalable, sustainable climate action.