Breaking down barriers for a sustainable future: the importance of including people with disabilities in climate initiatives

by Dylan Mahoussi Houndeton, as part of the AVOUALI project ”Inclusion in times of climate crisis” initiated by MeineWelt e.V. with financial support from Aktion MENSCH

The climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity today. It is caused by climate change, which occurs when human activities release greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. These gasses, such as carbon dioxide, trap the sun’s heat and cause a rise in the planet’s temperature.

The effects of climate change are already visible around the world, with extreme weather events such as storms, floods and droughts. The consequences could be catastrophic, particularly for the world’s most vulnerable populations. According to the Paris Agreement and resolutions of the United Nations Human Rights Council, people with disabilities are vulnerable to climate change. Unfortunately, the needs of people with disabilities are taken into account very little in climate mitigation and adaptation policies. It is therefore crucial that we take action to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and adapt our lifestyles to minimize the damage caused by climate change.

   The worsening effects of climate change on people with disabilities

Although the climate crisis affects everyone, the most vulnerable people, including people with disabilities, are often excluded from discussions on solutions and adaptation measures to combat this global problem. Yet people with disabilities are often the hardest hit by the consequences of climate change, particularly as a result of rising temperatures, natural disasters and environmental degradation. These climate change-induced disasters pose a dangerous threat to disabled people’s access to health, food, shelter, water and sanitation, livelihoods and work, mobility, etc., all of which amounts to a denial of the rights of disabled people contained in the CRPD. Because of their respective disabilities, disabled people feel the effects of climate change differently and more severely than other sections of society.

In addition, there are a number of barriers that prevent disabled people from fully participating in the fight against climate change:

• develop exchange networks, 
• networking with other platforms of disabled people involved in the fight against climate change,
• encourage the authorities to provide specific social and infrastructure measures for disabled people in times of climate crisis, 
• avoid being a player who contributes to the development of climate change in their community at grassroots level.

The need to include disabled people in climate initiatives

It is important to stress that people with disabilities can provide innovative and creative solutions to the climate crisis. It is therefore essential to include them in efforts to combat climate change in order to benefit from their expertise and experience. This is notably the case of political scientist, sociologist and ethnologist Boulo Moulkohg Allahdoum, who is a disabled person but who has never ceased to work for this community through his actions, for example by helping disabled women with a loan to set up an income-generating activity in his country, Tchad.

Governments, the media, environmental organizations and climate activists would gain more by actively including people with disabilities in efforts to raise awareness and mobilize support for the fight against climate change. This can include efforts to make information and technologies more accessible, and to remove physical and social barriers. By including people with disabilities in debates on climate justice, we can create more sustainable and fairer solutions for all. Green technologies can be developed to meet the needs of disabled people, green spaces can be designed to be accessible to all, and sustainable transport can be adapted to meet the needs of all users. To reduce the inequalities and discrimination suffered by disabled people in times of climate crisis, we need to

• developing exchange networks 
• networking with other platforms of disabled people committed to combating climate change,
• encourage the authorities to provide specific social measures and infrastructures for disabled people in times of climate crisis, 
• avoid being a player who contributes to the development of climate change in their community at grassroots level.

International tools require it

             With the slogans “nothing for us without us” of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and “leave no one behind” of the SDGs, the participation of people with disabilities would make it possible to adapt climate action so that it addresses their specific concerns in relation to the adverse effects of climate change. This approach will empower people with disabilities to be agents of change in addressing the adverse impacts that climate change is having on their daily lives. On the other hand, their exclusion from climate change planning will continue to make them the “preferred” victims of the adverse effects of climate change.

People with disabilities are a heterogeneous group, with different needs depending on the type of disability, so it is important to take this into account if we are to succeed in tackling climate change in an equitable way that leaves no one behind. Ultimately, an inclusive approach to the climate crisis will benefit not just people with disabilities, but society as a whole. By working together to find fair and inclusive solutions, we can create a safer and more sustainable future for all.