If April showers bring May flowers somewhere, it can also be the cruelest month of the year elsewhere. Yes, Indians are already experiencing temperatures close to limits of human survivability. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning that heatwaves are expected to be severe, extended and frequent in the 2024 summer. Ever since record-keeping began in 1659; this year will be the hottest in this warming world. The catastrophe is real. Climate changes everything and triggers a humanitarian crisis. Heatwaves impact crops, livelihoods and of course the health of the people. Climate change is the greatest threat the human race is facing today. We face heavier rainfall and deadly landslides. When Dubai and Mumbai are submerged in troubled waters on the same day, when glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, when land sinks like never before, there is definitely something wrong with the world. Wildfires are burning longer. Storms are getting stronger and people are dying in unprecedented heatwaves. This year, the US’s snow cover was the lowest on record and Spring is disappearing in the Northern Hemisphere. Putting food on the table is getting tougher. Our body clocks are shifting and it is creating another invisible crisis.
Summers are here with temperatures rising and predictions of heat waves with longer sweltering days. An average of 2 people lost their lives in summer 2023 due to heat waves. This year, the number can go higher. Longer spells of heat could spell doom. It will impact production and result in higher food prices. Heat waves will also compound the water crisis. The RBI, India’s central bank, is worried about food supply shocks caused by heat waves. India’s rising temperatures are due to the El-Nino effect. It is a climate pattern leading to unusual warming of ocean waters. Two key phenomena responsible are Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect and Wet Bulb Reading (WBR). WBR combines air temperature and relative humidity. It provides a more accurate reading of how hot it is. Usually the survivability limit of WBR is 35 degree Celsius. The World Bank report says India could be one of the first places where it soars past that. Continued exposure to heat could lead to heat stress, exhaustion and cramps.
Natural disasters don’t discriminate. Heatwaves or jarring jolts, cyclones or flash-floods, the extreme weather events come to kill. Next to China and the USA, India is the third most vulnerable country to climate change. India ranked 126th out of 143 nations in the World Happiness Report 2024 released on March 20. Happiness is directly proportional to the economy. When you are not feeling productive, you are not adding value and not earning enough. Our younger generation is already stressed due to unemployment and climate stress is adding insult to the injury.
As I write this piece, only 23 Indian states have a heat action plan in place. 75% of Indians are working in the unorganized sector- farmers, vendors and workers are doing physical work in the searing summer. As per the International Labour Organization, heatwaves pose significant challenges in productivity and well-being, resulting in reduced working hours. By 2030, the average number of lost daylight working hours in India could increase to the point where between 2.5 and 4.5 % of GDP could be at risk annually, according to McKinsey estimates.
PC: Terra.do
In a recent landmark ruling, a three-judge bench led by the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud made a significant ruling aimed at expanding the purview of Article 14 and Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. This ruling pertained to incorporating the “right against the adverse effects of climate change” within the ambit of these constitutional provisions.
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Persons with disabilities are completely invisible even in the most nuanced conversations around climate change. Last month, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) released an Advocacy Brief which is the go-to document for finding recent data on disability, displacement and disaster resilience. The brief was developed after an extensive review of existing recent studies and literature related to displacement, disability, climate change and disasters, including the 2023 Global Survey on Persons with Disabilities and Disasters, which analyzes responses from 1,304 displaced and stateless persons with disabilities, almost a quarter of its total respondents.
Research shows that people with disabilities are upto 4 times more likely to die in natural calamities. People with limited mobility or access to transportation are not able to move to safer places. Portable water may not be accessible as we witnessed in Bengaluru recently and not having access to safe water is a crisis that can cause multiple illnesses in PwD’s. One in ten children in the world has a disability and disasters hit the vulnerable harder. Not every child can hear a warning siren, not every child can run away. To be safe, children with disabilities need different solutions. That means being prepared and being consulted about the policies framed. According to Global Disability Innovation Hub, 80%of persons with disabilities live in potentially high climate-vulnerable countries.
Individuals with disabilities often face unique challenges in adapting to changing environmental conditions. It is important to Include PwD’s in climate action. Let’s examine the barriers they encounter and discuss the strategies to enhance their resilience and inclusion in climate change mitigation. The myriad impacts of record-breaking heat waves on disabled community are still not recognized widely. When the community is denied the disability-inclusive climate justice, then they will surely feel disconnected.
The lack of inclusive disaster preparedness and response mechanisms exacerbates the risks faced by PWDs, leading to higher rates of injury, displacement, and mortality during natural disasters. Disruptions to healthcare services and medication supply chains during climate-related disasters can further compromise the health and well-being of PWDs, exacerbating inequalities in healthcare access and outcomes. Climate change is also linked to economic disparities and it can hinder the ability of PwD’s to cope with or recover from climate-related shocks. The psychological toll of experiencing repeated climate-related traumas can exacerbate mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder among individuals with disabilities.
The lack of inclusive mental health services and psychosocial support further compounds these challenges. Discriminatory attitudes and misconceptions about disability can undermine the agency and autonomy of individuals with disabilities, hindering their ability to effectively advocate for their rights and needs in the context of climate change. Disability is treated as a trauma porn story in Indian media. Climate beat is no exception. Media can tell the heart-warming stories of disabled people affected by climate-induced migration and relocation. Since I faced heat stress this month, the key aim of writing this blog is to foster a culture of inclusivity and solidarity in climate action.
Fanny Skarin, a disabled climate activist, says that eco-ableism is doing more harm to disabled community in the time of climate change. It refers to the direct or indirect, structural or individual discrimination against disabled people in the name of climate activism. It can take many forms. E.g, saying subtle things like everyone can go vegan. Going vegan can be a privilege for some non-disabled persons but disabled person can have numerous food intolerances, so it makes it tricky to find what to eat. Sustainability is not sustainable if it works only for the privileged. Climate movements have to be inclusive so that the voices of disabled people are amplified in environmental context. What can be done? Set aside resources and funding dedicated to bringing in disability rights organizations and individuals to educate policymakers and people in power on how disabled people are affected the most. The world needs to know that we exist. As a community, we do not have to give up on each other and continue to love and laugh in times of climate change.
