A Scoping Review of Climate Change, Heat Stress, and Women's Financial Activities in Juba, South Sudan

This scoping review systematically maps the existing evidence on the intersection of climate change, urban heat stress, and the financial activities of women in Juba, South Sudan. It addresses a critical gap in understanding how rising temperatures and extreme heat events specifically impair the economic agency of women operating within the city’s informal economy. Adhering to the methodological framework of Arksey and O’Malley, this study employed a structured search strategy across academic databases and grey literature sources for the period 2021–2024, with explicit inclusion criteria focusing on climate, gender, and urban livelihoods in South Sudan or analogous contexts.

The review reveals a stark scarcity of targeted research. However, the mapped evidence indicates that intensifying heatwaves in Juba directly disrupt women’s market-based enterprises and informal trade. Key identified themes include the reduction of safe working hours, increased spoilage of heat-sensitive goods, and heightened health burdens, all of which erode income and financial resilience. This work underscores the urgent need for interdisciplinary research integrating climatology, gender economics, and energy access. Its significance lies in prioritising a gendered, localised perspective to inform context-specific policies that promote heat-resilient livelihoods and sustainable energy solutions, thereby safeguarding women’s economic participation against a rapidly warming climate.