This rapid umbrella review systematically synthesises evidence regarding the effectiveness of climate change adaptation interventions.
Climate change adaptation is a critical global challenge, particularly for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that face disproportionate risks of food and water insecurity, extreme weather events, and associated social and economic shocks. Despite over $1 trillion in annual global climate finance, developing countries receive less than a tenth of estimated adaptation needs; in 2022, just $28 billion flowed to LMICs against an annual requirement of $215-387 billion. Recent global agreements, such as the Global Goal on Adaptation (COP28) and the 2024 Bonn Climate Conference, have established clear priorities (e.g., early warning systems, resilient food/water systems) and target increased funding, yet major implementation and knowledge gaps persist around the effectiveness, equity and sustainability of adaptation interventions on the ground.
This rapid umbrella review (RUR) was commissioned to address this evidence gap and inform the programming and priority-setting of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) as it prepares for the next phase of International Climate Finance (ICF). The review synthesises recent evidence across systematic reviews of adaptation interventions, providing an evidence base to guide investment decisions, support scale-up of promising approaches, and contribute to policy and practice in LMICs. It focuses on strategies implemented across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), encompassing regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
