Integrating climate finance, technology pathways, and governance reforms for equitable climate action: a global review

Climate change poses complex and escalating risks to global socio-economic systems, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries with limited adaptive capacity and resource constraints. While substantial efforts have been directed toward climate finance and climate technology independently, critical knowledge gaps persist regarding their integrated role in addressing both mitigation and adaptation imperatives in vulnerable economies. This review synthesizes the intersection of climate finance, technology pathways, and governance reforms to address critical knowledge gaps in facilitating low-carbon transitions and resilience. This study is uniquely positioned to offer an evidence-based synthesis of how climate finance and technology intersect to facilitate low-carbon transitions, community-based adaptation, and resilience building, particularly in developing countries. This review also analyzes governance mechanisms, demonstrating that aligning targeted financial instruments with context-specific technological solutions significantly enhances climate resilience. Parallelly, the review evaluates emerging climate technologies such as renewable energy systems, carbon capture solutions, precision agriculture, and AI-integrated disaster management tools, highlighting barriers to their diffusion in resource-constrained settings. This study concludes by advancing a reform agenda focused on improving institutional transparency, integrating climate risk into financial governance, expanding blended finance instruments, and strengthening multilateral technology transfer frameworks.