Climate change disproportionately impacts people with disabilities—only aff can solve
Gianna Cacciatore 21 (Cacciatore graduated from Harvard with a bachelor’s degree and later earned her Ed.M. She served in the Boston Refugee Youth Enrichment, Phillips Brooks House Association, Her Campus Magazine, Harvard Outing Club, Adams House Committee, and Harvard Teacher Fellows while she earned her bachelor’s degree. She is now a Senior Associate Communications at Social Finance,) “The Intersection of Disability and Climate Change”, Harvard Graduate School of Education, https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/21/03/intersection-disability-and-climate-change, March 31, 2021/CR
Climate change threatens all of us. But for those of us living with a disability — an estimated 15% of the global population — the threat, compounded by discrimination, marginalization, and other pre-existing inequalities, is even greater.
Master’s student David Liebmann, a HGSE Sustainability Fellow, wants to bring awareness to this threat, especially in the world of education — a world where people with disabilities often lack access and face discrimination.
Liebmann, a veteran educator who has worked in independent schools for almost 30 years, previously taught environmental studies and English at schools in Maine, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts. Here at HGSE, Liebmann researches the intersection of climate change and disability. He is presenting his research on April 1 at “The Intersection of Disability and Climate Change,” an event sponsored by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. We asked Liebmann to talk to us about the important work unfolding in this new field.
David LiebmannWhat is this new area of study, and why is it important?
Climate change will be the central political and moral issue of the 21st century. It will affect everyone, but not equally. For example, one oft-cited estimate suggests 200 million people will be climate refugees by 2050. According to the World Health Organization, 15% of the global population has an intellectual or physical disability, so 30 million of those climate refugees will require different kinds of support. That jumped out to me and made me begin to research the intersections of climate change and disability. There's not much formal study on this yet, though my research points to a brief letter in the November 8, 2019 edition of Science that seems to have initiated the academic community's response.
How exactly does climate change affect people with disabilities?
Simply harder than people without. Broadly speaking, many people with disabilities live in greater poverty with more significant challenges than everyone else. Imagine a hurricane: people with disabilities would need early access to shelter, social supports, and medical assistance as needed. As potential climate refugees along with everyone else affected, some people with disabilities will require a different level of support in terms of access to food, shelter, and transportation. If Hurricane Sandy or Katrina or wildfires or summer heat waves or flooding become norms, everyone's needs shift into a higher category.