The pressing issue of climate change necessitates quick action from all levels of government and other key stakeholders, particularly local governments, as it extends beyond the scope of individual governments. Local governments are widely acknowledged to have a deep understanding of the consequences of climate change on local communities. This study provides a concise overview of climate change at the local level and conducts a systematic literature review to determine whether prior research has addressed climate change-related issues in relation to local governments. This study examined 98 studies that were conducted between 2005 and 2022, restricted its search to only two databases, and focused solely on the fields of business, management, and accounting, without considering other domains. Eight themes were identified as potential responses to climate change, including renewable energy integration, climate action plans, multi-stakeholder collaboration, adaptation strategy, policy integration, innovative technologies, resilient infrastructure development, and climate risk assessments. The literature has revealed that financial constraints are a critical issue in the fight against climate change at the local level, and the inadequacy of community participation in local policy creation is a notable issue. Therefore, this study suggests that it is important for the local government to pursue opportunities for collaboration that can be enhanced with other councils, state, and federal governments to exchange best practices, maximise economies of scale, establish governance frameworks, and scale up successful initiatives.