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Climate Change & Disability Resources

Climate change affects people with disabilities in many ways. These resources give high-level overviews on the connections between climate change and disability. Some resources also go into deeper details.

Websites & Organizations

United Nations: The impact of climate change on the rights of persons with disabilities

Information, resources, and publications related to the topic of climate change and disability

Disability & Philanthropy Forum: Connections Between Climate Change and Disability

A list of resources, articles, podcasts, and films related to the topic of climate change and disability

CBM: Disability and the Climate Crisis: Disability Inclusive Action

A list of blog posts and publications by the CBM in the UK

Human Rights Watch: UN Climate Resolution Emphasizes Protection of Disability Rights

Schulte, C., & Gazendam, I. (2021, May 24). UN climate resolution emphasizes protection of disability rights. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/07/15/un-climate-resolution-emphasizes-protection-disability-rights

Disability Inclusive Climate Action Research Program (DICARP)

DICARP brings together scholars and activists to create and share knowledge on efforts to combat the climate crisis

SustainedAbility

New Zealand, Disability-led network working on Disability and climate justice

Disabled Planet

Resources provided on disability justice within climate action. Resources include research, articles, blog posts, videos, and more

Disabled Hikers

Cross-disability-led nonprofit building disability community and justice in the outdoors

Government, NGO & Civil Society reports

EPA: Climate Change and the Health of People with Disabilities

Report outlining the health concerns caused by climate change

United Nations: Analytical study on the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities in the context of climate change

This report discusses the impact of climate change on persons with disabilities, human rights obligations, and recommendations

International Disability Alliance (IDA): Disability Inclusive Climate Action COP26 Advocacy Paper

This is a position paper summarising messages and recommendations for States, international governments, and other organizations working on global actions against climate change

Center for International Environmental Law. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Context of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

This document discusses relevant provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Sendai Framework. Accessible version available

Disability and Climate Change: How climate-related hazards increase vulnerabilities among the most at risk populations and the necessary convergence of inclusive disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation

Gutnik, A and Roth, M. Disability and Climate Change: How climate-related hazards increase vulnerabilities among the most at risk populations and the necessary convergence of inclusive disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Lyon: Humanity & Inclusion, 2018.

Disability and Climate Resilience Research Project

Kett, M., Cole, E., Twigg, J., Smith, F., Hug, S., Rahman, F., Haque, S., Khaemba, W., Gitonga, A., Oloo, W., Simard, M., Alam, K. J., & Ahmed, I. (2018). (rep.). Disability and Climate Resilience Research Project (pp. 1–86). UKAID.

The impact of climate change & natural disaster on disabled people in Australia

Cox, K. (2022). (rep.). The impact of climate change & natural disaster on disabled people in Australia (pp. 1–24). People with Disability Australia.

Resources

The Future Is Disabled: Planning for Climate Change Must Include People with Disabilities

Chertock, M. (2020, February 7). The future is disabled: Planning for climate change must include people with disabilities. Marlena Chertock. https://marlenachertock.com/planning-for-climate-change-must-include-people-with-disabilities/

Podcast: Disability Visibility Project

Wong, A., Camargo, L., Aurora, E., & Ghenis, A. (2019, November 3). Climate Change. Disability Visibility Project. Episode 63.

Climate Concerns and the Disability Community

Kosanic, A., Petzold, J., Dunham, A., & Razanajatovo, M. (2019). Climate concerns and the disabled community. Science, 366(6466), 698–699. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaz9045 

Disability: A neglected issue within climate change?

Kett, M. (2018). Disability: A neglected issue within climate change?. Dhaka Tribune. https://www.dhakatribune.com/magazine/weekend-tribune/135143/disability-a-neglected-issue-within-climate

Climate Change, Environmental Activism, and Disability

Novack, V., & Frias, D. (2022). Climate change, environmental activism, and disability. Stanford Social Innovation Review. https://ssir.org/articles/entry/climate_change_environmental_activism_and_disability

Webinar: Climate Change and Disability in California

Ghenis, A., Taylor, V., & Helland, L. (2018, February 7). Climate change and disability in California. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjBpuNM_NYI

Climate Change, Disability, & Rehabilitation

Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education. (2022, September 29). Session 1: Climate change, disability & rehabilitation. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WS9EFpjekk

Webinar: Climate Change and Disability

Palfrey, J., Frias, D., Novack, V., Munoz, Y. (2022). Climate change and disability. Disability & Philanthropy Forum. https://disabilityphilanthropy.org/resource/disability-philanthropy-webinar-series-climate-change-and-disability/

Research and Scholarship

Factors Associated with Climate Change Vulnerability in the Adaptive Capacity of People Disability: a Systematic Review

Gaskin, C. J., Taylor, D., Kinnear, S., Mann, J., Hillman, W., & Moran, M. (2017). Factors associated with the climate change vulnerability and the adaptive capacity of people with disability: A systematic review. Weather, Climate, and Society, 9(4), 801–814. https://doi.org/10.1175/wcas-d-16-0126.1

Disability and Climate Change: A Critical Realist Model of Climate Justice

King, M. M., & Gregg, M. A. (2021). Disability and climate change: A critical realist model of climate justice. Sociology Compass, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12954

Where are Persons with Disabilities? A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of Federal Government Climate Change Documents

MacDonald, S. E. (2021). Where are persons with disabilities? A reflexive thematic analysis of federal government climate change documents (thesis).

Disability Inclusion in Climate Change: Impacts and Intersections

Saxton, M. L., & Ghenis, A. (2018). Disability Iinclusion in climate change: Impacts and intersections. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on equality and diversity, 4(1).

Disability and climate resilience: A literature review

Smith, F., Simard, M.,Twigg, J., Kett, M., & Cole, E. (2017). Disability and climate resilience: A literature review. 

Climate Change, Water, Sanitation and Energy Insecurity: Invisibility Of People With Disabilities

Wolbring, G., & Leopatra, V. (2012). Climate change, water, sanitation and energy insecurity: Invisibility of people with disabilities. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 1(3), 66. https://doi.org/10.15353/cjds.v1i3.58

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