Giving Compass' Take:

• Policies aimed at protecting the planet should be inclusive of individuals with disabilities since environmental issues often affect these communities the most. 

•  How can donors help advocate for inclusive environmental policies? 

• Read the Giving Compass Environmental Issues guide for donors. 

People with disabilities are disproportionately affected by disasters, which are worsening and increasing because of climate change.

The National Council on Disability estimated that a “disproportionate number of the fatalities” amid Hurricane Katrina were people with disabilities. Typical evacuation routes and disaster plans are often not accessible to this vulnerable group, while interruptions to electricity are deadlier for those who require machines to treat medical conditions.

The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change’s report released late last year identified poor—and those with disabilities of any kind are more likely to be poor than able-bodied people—and vulnerable (including those with health or physical conditions) people as those who will be affected first and hardest by a 1.5 degree Celsius rise in global temperature.

Despite their vulnerability to climate change, people with disabilities often aren’t involved with climate change-related policy making.

Policies like these—when they don’t adequately include consultation with affected groups or reflect their needs during implementation—can make already vulnerable populations even more vulnerable. In the worst cases, these campaigns can even pit people with vulnerabilities against environmental progress.

Actions that protect the environment don’t have to disenfranchise the disability community. In fact, the needs of people with disabilities are not an impediment to good planet care. They’re essential to it. When we pursue the inclusion of people with disabilities, caring about nature can come naturally. Here are five initiatives that can safeguard people with disabilities and the planet, too.

  1. Universal health care
  2. Disaster planning
  3. Corporate accountability
  4. Universal design
  5. Stronger environmental regulations

Read the full article about protecting the environment by Megan Wildhood at YES! Magazine