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Paper short abstract:

Social protection, a key component of SDG1, can break poverty cycles while supporting climate change adaptation and mitigation. This paper analyses Sub-Saharan Africa's NDCs, revealing limited integration of social protection. It highlights geopolitical and economic factors shaping outcomes.

Paper long abstract:

Achieving the interconnected goals of poverty reduction under SDG1 and climate action under the Paris Agreement is essential. Climate change disproportionately affects impoverished communities, deepening vulnerabilities and risking entrenched poverty, not least in Sub-Saharan Africa. Conversely, poorly designed climate policies and transitions to renewable energy—though vital for sustainable development—could exacerbate inequalities, food insecurity, and reduced incomes if not managed carefully. Social protection is a critical component of SDG1, capable of breaking cycles of poverty by equipping vulnerable communities with resources to adapt to the impacts of climate change and climate action.

This paper examines whether and how social protection measures are integrated into climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts in Sub-Saharan African countries. It develops four conceptual categories of social protection as a tool to shield the economy and vulnerable communities from the adverse effects of climate change and the transition. The framework is applied using a dual mixed-method approach. First, the updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of all Sub-Saharan African countries are analysed to assess the inclusion of social protection mechanisms in climate strategies using the four categories. Second, informed by the results, the paper reviews individual country cases using document analysis. Findings indicate limited integration: only six measures reference social insurance or cash transfers, four propose social safety nets and basic social protection, and five refer to labor market measures. The paper concludes by theorising the geopolitical and political economy factors that influence how social protection policies can support climate change mitigation and adaptation effectively.