Climate Crisis Links (tmp)

Links from 2022 Newsletters

Disability Debrief feature: Disability in the Heat Why authorities need to prioritise people at highest risk as temperatures rise (Jul, Disability Debrief)

Heatwaves worsen mental health conditions (Jul, the Conversation)

Environmental Justice inclusive of disability animated videos telling the story through a character called Sofía. (in Spanish, ONG Inclusiva) Also available with English subtitles.

Report on Disability Inclusion in National Climate Commitments and Policies The 2015 Paris Agreement calls on countries to outline the measures they will take to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. Fewer than one in four countries make references to persons with disabilities in these plans, and where they do, it is often cursory. (Jun, IDA and McGill) See also coverage on the Guardian.

A briefing note for the Bonn Climate Conference 2022 on integrating human rights to climate action. (Jun, Human Rights and Climate Change Working Group)

A discussion exploring Climate Change, Environmental Activism, and Disability (SSIR)

Resource Page on Connections Between Climate Change and Disability (Disability & Philanthropy Forum)

See previously on the Debrief, Responses to climate change leaving disabled people behind on the IPCC report and recent floods in Australia. (Apr, Disability Debrief)

What I wish non-disabled people understood about disability and plastic. An illustrated coming showing “disabled people often suffer most from plastic pollution, but many also rely on plastic products for health, independence and dignity.” (Mar, Greenpeace)

Climate and sport: Paralympic champion Tatyana McFadden explains the link. (Apr, UN)

A policy paper on Locating disability inclusion in action on climate change with advice targeted to the UK government to make their climate action disability-inclusive. (Mar, CBM UK)

A feature exploring the link between disability and sustainability particularly from the view of the private sector. (Mar, Valuable 500)

On the IPCC report: Scant mention of disabled community, despite higher risk of climate change impact. (Mar, Stuff)

The missing conversation about disabled leadership in climate justice. "Disabled people are expert adapters – we spend our lives figuring out how to live and thrive in a world which was not designed for us." (Mar, Stuff)

The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. "Across sectors and regions the most vulnerable people and systems are observed to be disproportionately affected. " Recommends that inclusive governance address vulnerabilities and inequalities related to disability. (March, IPCC)

The Sangyan's posts on climate change include reflections on Climate Change, Disability, and the Capability Approach and the displacement of people with disabilities as climate refugees. (Mar, Sangyan)

Disability and Climate Justice an overview of the current situation and recommendations to take forward (link to pdf, Dec, Open Society Foundations)

Cop26: Take stock, regroup and keep disability inclusion on the table for climate action "let's do better together". (Jan, Bond)

Policy Brief on the decade of healthy ageing in a climate-changing world (Jan, Decade of Healthy Ageing)

Environmental Justice and Disability with Pauline Castres - YouTube a nice conversation covering key issues and reflecting on COP. (Dec, Judy Heumann)

What is Climate resilient inclusive design and why do we need it? Global Disability Innovation Hub at COP26 (Nov, GDI)

In Bangladesh, Data & evidence missing on the impact of climate change on persons with disabilities. “No data on how persons with disabilities have been affected by the flooding, persons with disabilities are scattered in this area and even getting cash support to these persons takes a bit of time. There are not so many OPDs to support them either.” (Jul, CBM Global)

In Canada,

• Disability rights don’t have to clash with environmental responsibility (Jul, the Conversation)
• One Year Since Deadly Heatwave Protections Still Needed: 600 people died due to extreme heat in the summer of 2021, 91% of whom were 60 or older. (May, Human Rights Watch)

In Europe, Joint Statement on the Social Climate Fund the fund “must be a transformative instrument tackling structural injustices” (Mar, EDF)

In India,

• Interview with Alice Abraham, a young woman from Kerala “regarding the impact of climate change on her life and her disability.” (Jul, The Sangyan)
• An ICT4 Inclusion Challenge on mitigating the impact of climate change on people with disabilities (May, ICT 4 Inclusion Challenge)

In Kenya, Include persons with disability in climate action plans (Jan, The Standard)

In Nepal, A case study on Nepal’s changing climate and its impact on communities including persons with disabilities “I have never seen anything like that in my whole life. The whole earth was shaking. Other people went uphill as the flood started to rise. Later, I went up with the support of my son-in-law too. I came here looking for better access to the market and other facilities. But I lost everything. I am an old man with a physical disability, it is very difficult for me now” (Jul, CBM Global)

In the Solomon Islands, How People with Disabilities Face Climate Change in Solomon Islands: "Every high tide is right at my doorstep every time I wake up. That keeps me wondering if soon, we are going to sink in the sea with no option,” (May, Solomon Times)

In South Africa,

• Load shedding life-threatening to people with disabilities. (Jul, Rolling Inspiration)
• How load shedding impacts people living with disabilities (Jun)

In the United Kingdom,

• Disability and the heatwave: Cooling solutions and disability as weather alert goes red (Jul, BBC)
• City’s co-produced climate action plan ‘is a world first’ featuring Bristol's climate plan, which we also covered on the debrief (Jul, Disability News Service)
• Glasgow disabled facing hostility for car use “Disabled people are facing "climate-change themed" hostility and aggression for using cars, according to a charity.” (May, The Herald)
• A new Community Climate Action Plan in Bristol (Mar, Bristol DEF)
• Up to the Challenge report examining the National Disability Strategy and how it addresses climate change. "Disabled people across the country are excluded from the important work to tackle climate change." (Feb, Oxford)
• For disabled environmentalists discrimination and exclusion are a daily reality (Jan, Greenpeace)

In the United States,

• It’s not just heat stroke. Extreme temperatures pose special risk to people with chronic illness (Jul, Statnews)
• Where Food Sustainability and Disability Clash “Services like grocery and meal delivery are generally not environmentally or worker-friendly, using lots of single-use plastic and relying on underpaid gig workers. But they’re often the safest and most accessible avenues for disabled and chronically ill people.” (Jun, FoodPrint)
• Ageing and the Climate Crisis aging (Jun, ASA Generations)
• In best of times, New Orleans is hard on people with disabilities. In hurricanes, it's deadly. (Jun, Nola)
• Severe weather can mean life or death for people with disabilities. (May, Fox9)
• Climate change is forcing care workers to act as first responders. “A new pilot program in California aims to provide the training and resources they need to take care of their clients and themselves. But advocates say increased responsibility should equal more pay.” (May, 19th News)
• Ensuring the Safety of People With Disabilities During Climate Change (Apr, Santa Clara University)
• How heeding disabled people can help us survive the climate crisis. (Jan, Slate)

Links from November 2021

A nice overview of the issues in What’s climate change got to do with disability? a radio programme, sadly without transcript but with accompanying article. (October, BBC Ouch)

Key Resources:

• Disability and the Climate Crisis, CBM UK page on disability inclusive climate action.
• Evidence digests on Climate Change and Disability Inclusion (link to pdf, October, Disability Inclusion Digest)

The Glad Network Disability Inclusive Climate Action COP26 Advocacy Paper, and see also accompanying inforgraphic.

Summary of discussion on CIP on What do climate-focus agencies need to be doing to ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities in their work, and what should disability organisations need to be doing to ensure a focus on climate in their work? (CIP)

Human Rights Watch People with Disabilities Needed in Global Efforts to Combat Climate Change (November)

From IDA and IDDC, Statement by IDA and IDDC as COP 26 takes place.

IDA has a Disability and Climate Action Caucus Membership Interest Form for NGOs and OPDs.

In the United Kingdom,

• Disability inclusion in UK climate action paper with recommendations to UK work at Cop26 (October, Bond Disability and Development Group )
• Community Climate Action Interesting intervention, and video, by a disability organization to link with local government efforts. "We must be part of this change to make sure that the changes make Bristol better for everyone." (August, Bristol Disability Equality Forum)

September 2021

Disability Inclusive Climate Justice great video on how climate and disability inclusion intersect. (June, EDF) See also a shorter version. More at EDF's site on Disability and Climate Action.

An issue paper and guide to promoting disability-inclusive climate change (June, GLAD Network), including measures to make COP 26 inclusive.

See also an issue brief on Rights-Based Climate Action: Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (link to pdf, June, LFTW)

Also ahead of the Conference of Parties 26:

• Economic empowerment of excluded groups in the COP26 Energy campaign on key issues for women and people with disabilities in the clean energy transition (link to pdf, April, UKAID)
• The COP26 presidency "has publicly committed to supporting the UNFCCC secretariat to create a disability caucus." (June, Jason Boberg on twitter)

May 2021

International Intersectionality in the Fight against Climate Change recording of event (April, IWRAW Asia Pacific)

With reference to US and international examples, Climate Change Solutions Must Include People with Disabilities (April, Just Security)

From the United States, Eco-Ableism episode of You First podcast (April, Disability Rights Florida)

March 2021

See a nice new website from Disability-Inclusive Climate Action Research Program (DICARP), which “brings together scholars and activists from around the world” It includes a podcast Enabling Commons.

June 2020

UN OHCHR study on the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities in the context of climate change:

Taking into account the requirements of persons with disabilities is critical for effective climate action and to prevent climate change from exacerbating inequalities. A disability-inclusive approach will empower persons with disabilities as agents of change, prevent discrimination against them and make climate action more effective.

Climate Change: This Century's Defining Issue (link to pdf) a CBM working paper detailing measures for inclusion of persons with disabilities in Climate Change Plans: Personal, Programmes, Policy and Political. Features great quotes from persons with disabilities.