A Decision-Making Model for Prioritizing Low-Carbon Policies in Climate Change Mitigation

Abstract

Climate change (CC) represents a paramount environmental challenge, necessitating the deployment of sustainable, low-carbon strategies particularly in developing regions such as Africa. This study introduces a novel decision-making framework aimed at enhancing the prioritization of policies to combat the adverse effects of CC. The proposed two-stage model employs the integration of Step-Wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) and Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) under spherical fuzzy (SF) conditions to address the strategic sequencing of sustainable policies. Initially, SF-SWARA is utilized to ascertain the relative significance of diverse criteria. Subsequently, the SF-WASPAS method ranks these policies, facilitating informed decision-making. The primary obstacles identified include limited institutional capacity, insufficient financial resources, and technological constraints, for which strategic alternatives are proposed. Moreover, rigorous sensitivity and comparative analyses affirm the model's applicability. By systematically delineating and prioritizing necessary policies, this study contributes significantly to the scholarly discourse on climate mitigation (CM) in an African context.