Press Release: Indian Government updates Parliament about the ‘Impact of Climate Change on Disabled and Old People’
New Delhi. 14th November 2022
In the Budget Session of the Parliament, on 04th April 2022, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in the Lok Sabha, answered to the unstarred question of Shri Ritesh Pandey, Member of Parliament, regarding studying the impact of climate change on people with disabilities and older people and the existing policy and legal framework to mitigate and adapt the impacts of climate change on them.
In the written reply, the Minister while referring to the Working Group II contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment report titled “Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability” released in February 2022, quoted that “in virtually all of the research identifying particular climate-related risks to health, wellbeing, migration and conflict, specific types of individuals are identified as having higher levels of vulnerability and exposure to climate-related health hazards: people who are impoverished, undernourished, struggle with chronic or repeated illnesses, live in insecure housing in polluted or heavily degraded environments, work in unsafe conditions, are disabled, have limited education, and/or have poor access to health and social infrastructure. Notwithstanding, the report also notes that data on exposure to health, flooding and drought risks on vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children and disabled is often lacking.”
The Minister further stated that “the Government has assessed the impact of climate change on human health and initiated the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health. The programme aims to reduce morbidity, mortality, injuries, and health vulnerability among the population in the country including disabled and older people, due to climate variability and extreme weather.”
The Minister concerning the existing framework added that “Government is seized of the matter. The extant legal and promotional measures by various Ministries/Departments adequately address the challenges including impact of climate change on vulnerable sections of the society, disabled and older people. Within the Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment have taken a series of measures for inclusive growth and welfare of the disabled sections of the society through various schemes/programmes and activities.”
Abhishek Kumar
The Sangyan (linktr.ee/sangyan)
abhishek.ncpedp@gmail.com
