Context and Background

Infographic

Climate change acts as a “threat multiplier”, undermining all Sustainable Development Goals and having a disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities, including children, women, old adults, and persons with disabilities, given their heightened vulnerability, viz. greater exposure, higher sensitivity and lower ability to adapt and mitigate with respect to physical and mental health, livelihood and decent employment, environmental migration and displacement, cost of living, adequate housing and habitat, sanitation, menstrual hygiene, disasters induced losses and damages, and beyond.

Infographic illustrating the 'Four-Order Impact of Climate Change': Climate change has a multi-order impact across dimensions, and the following only indicates an illustration of the same. Note: This is an illustrative list and not an exhaustive one.

I. First Order [Immediate]: Physical and mental health deterioration (including climate and accessibility anxiety).

II. Second Order [Short Term]: Capability deprivation and loss of livelihood and employment (Reduced Productivity).

III. Third Order [Medium Term]: Cost of Living and Quality of Life Crisis, Hunger, Malnutrition, Insecurity and Poverty.

IV. Fourth Order [Long Term]: Disability-adjusted Life Years [DALYs] and Affected Mortality and Life Expectancy.

Climate change has a domino effect disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities with such negative externalities, despite them contributing least to the climate change and being at the forefront of climate change impacts, are subject to exclusionary and eco-ableist climate action responses.

Source: Baseline Report on the ‘Impact of Climate Change on Persons with Disabilities’ By Adv. Abhishek Kumar, Javed-Abidi Fellow on Disability (2021-2024).

Abhishek Kumar, We need a Disability-led Climate Action, UNICEF - Voices of Youth, 29th November 2023.

The blog covers The Sangyan’s research and advocacy endeavour on the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, including persons with disabilities, and the ‘Build Forward Better’ Campaign advocating the need for a Disability-led Climate Action.

Coverage of 'Build Forward Better' Campaign