Disability-Inclusive Climate Justice: Case Studies from India

Introduction

This article is based upon the presentation by Advocate Abhishek Kumar, NCPEDP-Javed Abidi Fellow on Disability and Curator, The Sangyan, at the Webinar on Disability & Climate Justice. The webinar focused on how the climate crisis impacts persons with disabilities and why amplifying the voices of those with disabilities is critical for climate justice. The event took place on the 28th of June, 2023, at 15:30 BST [8:00 PM IST] via Zoom.

Image Description (Alt Text) — Title of presentation: Disability-Inclusive Climate Justice: Case Studies from India by Advocate Abhishek Kumar, NCPEDP-Javed Abidi Fellow on Disability and Curator, The Sangyan from Ranchi, India. Additionally, an image of an overhead photograph of a woman with grey hair in Ranchi, India, with a large bag of rice and crutches sitting at the stairs of a Railway Overbridge.

Contextual Background

The presentation draws three case studies from three different climatic regions of India that one can see on the map in order to highlight how climate change acts as a threat multiplier and disproportionately impacts persons with disabilities, given their greater exposure, higher sensitivity and lower ability to adapt and mitigate.

Through these case studies, the presenter covered three climate change impact concepts (Climate Anxiety, Disability-adjusted Life Years, and Climate Migration), climate threats in three different climatic regions (hot and humid coastal conditions in southeast India, hot and dry climatic conditions in central India and semi-arid conditions in northwest India) and lived experiences of persons with three different disabilities (Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension [IIH], Multiple Sclerosis [MS], Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita [AMC] and Scoliosis).

Image Description (Alt Text) — Climate Zone Map of India with the images of Kavya Poornima Balajepalli, Anjali Vyas and Kavya Mukhija and arrows depicting their regions of the location in it. In addition, there is a drone-view image of the New Delhi skyline depicting air pollution cover to highlight the resultant climate anxiety.

Case Study 1 — Ar. Kavya Poornima Balajepalli

The first and foremost case study concerns Climate Anxiety. Ar. Kavya Poornima Balajepalli is from Vizag, Andhra Pradesh — a coastal city in southeast India. She is an Architect and Disability Advocate working on Universal Accessibility. She lives with a rare neurological and invisible condition called Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension [IIH], which affects the brain pressures without a known reason and because of which she acquired blindness and manages this complex, incurable condition with a brain shunt implant, which makes the condition more complicated. The cyclones have a major effect on intracranial pressures (ICP), which often elevates the headaches and hampers her productivity.

She is subject to Climate Anxiety which is defined as ‘heightened emotional, mental or somatic distress in response to dangerous changes in the climate system.’ Climate anxiety can lead to symptoms such as panic attacks, loss of appetite, irritability, weakness and sleeplessness.

In her respect, extreme weather events, including cyclones, unseasonal rainfall and urban flooding, result in climate anxiety concerning her disaster preparedness, early warning system, accessible emergency plan, etc., because they are neither disability-inclusive nor universally accessible. Her capability-deprived life due to her disability further worsens with inaccessibility and climate anxiety. She is also subject to Thunderstorm Asthma — an attack of asthma that starts or worsens after a thunderstorm.

Image Description (Alt Text) — Photograph of Kavya Poonima Balajepalli sitting in a wheelchair on the beach, staring at the sea. Information is provided regarding her profession [Architect and Disability Advocate], conditions [Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension] and climate change impact [Climate Anxiety because of inaccessible disasters and climate plans during Cyclones, Unseasonable Rains, etc.].

Case Study 2 — Anjali Vyas

The second case study concerns Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). Anjali Vyas is a Chemical Engineer and a Disability Advocate from Bhandara, Maharashtra, located in the central part of India with hot and dry climatic conditions. She is living with Multiple Sclerosis and needs to take regular injections, which is recommended for her treatment. Multiple Sclerosis [MS] is a chronic disease of the central nervous system. In October 2022, she couldn’t take her injections because of the waterlogging caused by unseasonal rainfall.

The injections that the Person with Multiple Sclerosis takes need to be refrigerated. With the rise in temperature levels and, consequently, resulting energy crises and power cuts make it even more difficult to store these injections at the required temperature, resulting in deteriorating physical health conditions, which further triggers mental anxiety by contemplating extreme situations and conditions.

In her respect, extreme weather events like Heatwave, Unseasonable Rains, etc., impacts her Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) — One DALY represents the loss of the equivalent of one year of full health, including climate change-induced physical and mental health impacts.

Image Description (Alt Text) — Headshot of Anjali Vyas and a second photo showing a flooded entryway in a building. Information is provided on her profession [Chemical Engineer and Disability Advocate], condition [Multiple Sclerosis] and climate change impact [Disability-adjiusted Life Years because of Heatwave, Unseasonal Rains, etc.].

Case Study 3 — Kavya Mukhija

The ultimate case study concerns Climate Migration. Kavya Mukhija is an Organisational Psychologist and Disability Advocate from Jaipur, Rajasthan — a semi-arid region in northwest India. She lives with conditions called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita [AMC] and Scoliosis (condition of abnormal lateral curvature of the spine), resulting in her restricted mobility and movement as well as weak lungs.

Extreme weather events, air pollution and low ventilation put a lot of pressure on her lungs, causing breathlessness. In her respect, migration happened because of air pollution and extreme weather events when she shifted from New Delhi to Jaipur because of the climate change-induced crisis.

Climate Migration means migration and displacement of populations as a result of failing ecosystems, vulnerability to natural hazards, and gradual climate-driven environmental changes causing capability deprivation, poverty, hunger, and so on.

Image Description (Alt Text) — Photograph of Kavya Mukhija sitting in a wheelchair at an outdoor cafe smiling at the camera. Information provided on her profession [Organisational Psychologist and Disability Advocate], conditions [Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita [AMC] and Scoliosis] and climate change impacts [Climate Migration due to Air Pollution, Cold waves, etc.].

Conclusion

To sum it up, disabled people are at the forefront of climate change impacts and yet are subject to eco-ableist responses to it. As the IPCC Report reaffirms, the best way to protect people from climate change is by tackling “inequities such as those based on gender, ethnicity, disability, age, location and income”. Ergo, we need to Build Forward Better for an inclusive world that leaves no one behind by building climate resilience and a universally accessible world.

Image Description (Alt Text) — Slide with the title: Climate Change — Threat Multiplier in the Era of Consequences. Visual showing SDG 13 Climate Action logo along with a graphic showing how climate is a threat multiplier for a number of societal challenges — Cost of Living; Habitat and Adequate Housing; Hunger, Poverty and Security; Capability Approach; Disaster Risk Reduction; Livelihood and Decent Work; Health, Water and Sanitation; and Migration and Displacement.

References

1. The Sangyan — Drishtikon
2. Ulgulan Talks! : Interview with Kavya Poornima Balajepalli
3. Ulgulan Talks! : Interview with Anjali Vyas
4. Ulgulan Talks! : Interview with Kavya Mukhija

About the Author

Abhishek Kumar, NCPEDP — Javed Abidi Fellow on Disability and Ideator, Curator and Founder, The Sangyan.

The author can be reached at abhishek.ncpedp@gmail.com.