Climate policy, Least Developed Countries, and the Sustainable Development Goals: A critical review of SDG13 and infrastructural, institutional, and informational resilience

The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) lack the vital resources required to build climate resilience, even though they will bear a disproportionate burden of climate change impacts. Despite the critical importance of aligning climate policies with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the LDCs, existing literature particularly focusing on this intersection remains insufficient. Much of the current research has predominantly focused on the Global North, where data is more readily available and scientific research in centred. In this study, we ask: (1) What is the current state of research and evidence on the impact of climate policies on the other SDGs in the LDCs? (2) How do climate policies in the LDCs interact with other SDGs? (3) What synergies and trade-offs arise because of these interactions? (4) What forms of resilience do climate policies (and the studies research them) seek to cultivate? In asking these questions, the primary objective of this critical review is to assess the current state of research on the impact of climate policies on the SDGs in the LDCs. By critically examining the existing literature, we identify a significant gap in literature specifically focusing on LDCs’ climate policies and their interactions with other SDGs. We then highlight the areas where further research is accordingly most needed, utilising a sociotechnical framework of infrastructural, institutional, and informational resilience. Ultimately, we contribute to a more holistic understanding of how climate policies can be designed to promptly build climate resilience in the LDCs without compromising progress on other SDGs.