Page 19 - Mainstreamer e-Magazine Volume 5, April 2024
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HERE AND THERE: POLICY TOUCHPOINT
Climate Change and Persons with Disabilities: Their Voices
Need to Be Heard
Le Thi
Thu
limate change—a term that has resonated Furthermore, evacuation systems and personnel
for decades—is now a pressing global are usually inadequate to assist PWDs, leaving
Cissue, increasingly affecting daily lives. It many stranded or evacuated too late due to a lack
significantly impacts ecosystems and organisms, of timely warning information.
leading to environmental consequences, As a consequence, houses collapse and nearby
infrastructure damage, and numerous residents find it difficult to communicate with a
uncertainties. Recognising the urgency of this deaf person during evacuations. They struggle to
issue, the United Nations (UN) organises annual explain why he must leave his house. This difficulty
climate change conferences known as COPs. This is attributed to the lack of accessible information
forum is the world’s only multilateral decision- and appropriate personnel for immediate
making body on climate change, and it has a response. During evacuation, PWDs may face
universal membership from every country. As a additional risks, such as sexual violence or human
responsible participant, Vietnam committed at trafficking.
COP26 to taking necessary actions to reach the
net-zero target by 2050. Actions like COPs and
the commitments of all United Nations members “
provide convincing evidence that climate change is The question at hand is how to help
a global concern.
Climate change has a direct impact on PWDs to respond to climate change
population health, and PWDs are no exception. in an inclusive and comprehensive
According to the website hi.org, PWDs are manner. Firstly, it is imperative
significantly more vulnerable to climate change to include the voices of PWDs in
than other populations; they are four times
more likely to die in disasters. This view is decision-making processes, as well
echoed by unhcr.org, which states that PWDs are as to carefully assess the impact
disproportionately affected by adverse natural of climate change on the disability
events. Therefore, addressing how PWDs can community. ”
respond to climate change is an urgent issue for
policymakers. According to unhcr.org, 80% of Climate change has an impact on various
PWDs live in low and middle-income countries, aspects of the daily lives of PWDs. Heatwaves
many of which are highly vulnerable to climate and abnormal cold directly affect the health and
change. This vulnerability stems from limited livelihoods of PWDs, who often live in poverty
information, knowledge, and capacity to adapt and cannot afford cooling or heating solutions.
to climate change, which is exacerbated by the Climate change also exacerbates health and well-
lack of accessible formats to improve awareness being challenges for PWDs. A 2022 World Health
of natural disasters. For example, early warning Organization report highlights major barriers
programmes often do not include sign language or PWDs face in accessing healthcare, noting that
audio messages, causing deaf and blind persons they are three times more likely to be denied
to miss out on important preparation measures. healthcare access than non-disabled individuals.
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