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Dimensions of risks and impacts of occupational heat stress due to climate change on workers' health and safety, productivity, and social well-being are significantly deleterious. Aside from empirical evidence, no systematic review exists for policy development and decision making in managing occupation heat stress impacts and adaptation strategies of workers. This study sought to synthesise evidence on the social impacts of occupational heat stress and adaptation strategies of workers. From a review of existing literature, eight categories were obtained from 25 studies and grouped into three syntheses: (1) awareness of occupational heat stress, (2) social impacts of occupational heat stress and (3) workers' adaptation to occupational heat stress due to changing climate. Awareness of occupational heat stress among workers varied and their social impacts were related to workers' health and safety, productivity and social well-being. Sustainable adaptation to occupation heat stress due to climate change hinges on financial resource availability. Adequate investment and research are required to develop and implement policies to combat the threat of rising temperature and climate change to enhance workers' adaptive capacity, boost resilience and foster sustainable development.

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This paper argues that the term 'empowerment' is too complex a concept to be simply 'inserted' into development project designs without prior and precise conceptualization. Drawing on qualitative research conducted in 2010/2011 and using Ghana's Community-Based Rural Development Projects (CBRDP) as a case study, the paper outlines power struggles that occurred between Traditional Chiefs and Local Government Officials over the right to manage the projects. The analysis shows that the mal-application of 'empowerment' in the CBRDP's design impacted negatively on the projects. As the project's officials did not envisage the feuds there was no strategy in place to monitor and manage unintended outcomes. The paper provides a theoretical and empirical basis for policy-makers and program officials to consider more carefully the politico-cultural contexts of 'development' beneficiaries rather than focusing on positivistic and normative terms, such as empowerment, which seems to characterize many development projects at the global level.