NFCDS annual lecture: Disabled people and climate change

Climate change poses major risks to human health and livelihoods, in ways that are compounding and creating new forms of health inequality. Disabled people – including 15% of the global population – are disproportionately exposed to these risks, experiencing higher injury and death rates and fewer opportunities to influence climate policy or action. By homogenising disabled people as climate ‘victims’, current efforts to tackle these inequalities largely fail to address the social, cultural and political conditions that exacerbate such risks. The first presentation will reflect on how disability has been positioned within climate change scholarship to-date, before considering opportunities to harness climate action to create more inclusive, liveable places where disabled people can thrive and flourish in our ever-changing world. The second presentation will outline how Bristol is including disabled people in climate change discussions, and how the city is taking measures to address the climate emergency, particularly in relation to disabled people.