Addressing Global Climate Justice Issues Here in Canada

by Bounmy Inthavong

Climate change represents a profound crisis of inequality. It manifests not only as an environmental catastrophe, but also as a stark disparity in how its burdens are shouldered. Marginalized populations, especially those at the intersection of race and disability, often bear a disproportionate share of these burdens and have historically been excluded in climate discussions.

What Research Tells Us

At Race and Disability Canada, we have reviewed a great deal of research around these issues. Here are some things we have learned.

• Individuals with disabilities are more vulnerable in disasters, with mortality rates 2-4 times higher during events such as famine and drought (Handicap International Canada, 2021).

• Eighty-percent of people with disabilities reside in low to middle-income countries—regions with high climate vulnerability and insufficient resources to help with safe migration or resettlement (UNHCR, 2021). For example, in countries such as Afghanistan and Syria, where rates of disability are higher, people with disabilities face the compounded effects of climate change, the historical legacies of colonization and systemic racial inequalities. These factors increase political instability and hinder people’s access to resources and safe environments.

• Over 40% of refugees are hosted in highly limate-vulnerable countries (UNHCR, no date). Among these, an estimated 12 million are people with disabilities, (GMDAC analysis based on UNHCR 2020 and WHO 2011).

Migration Becomes Life-threatening

These individuals face obstacles made worse by climate-induced migration. The lack of accessible evacuation routes, appropriate shelter accommodations and essential services show the deep-rooted systemic negligence. These issues reflect a failure of policy and a deficit of empathy that leave people with disabilities to face the harshest realities of climate change with inadequate support. 

As a result, people with disabilities forced to migrate due to climate change experience multiple impacts. Physically, the absence of accessible transportation and housing amplifies relocation risks. Psychologically, the trauma of displacement is heightened by the loss of personal care networks and familiar settings. Socially, the isolation for many individuals with disabilities worsens as traditional community responses to the influx of migrating people become overextended (UNHCR, 2021).

More Research is Needed

The research to-date shows the acute need for accessible and inclusive climate adaptation strategies (Pham and Saner, 2021). However, there is a gap in research focusing on the human rights dimensions of displacement and migration for people with disabilities.

Disability-focused research that does exist calls for the integration of accessibility into disaster response. Yet, this often fails to translate into action, with people with disabilities frequently excluded from conversations and decision-making (Kelman et al., 2015).

Our Work

Race and Disability Canada’s mission is to support organizations and different levels of government in understanding the intersections of race and disability, so that programs and supports here in Canada are accessible and barrier-free.

Culturally-relevant services and supports are needed that acknowledge and are responsive to the lived realities of people with disabilities from countries hit hardest by climate change, as many are racialized and automatically marginalized as the “other” in Canada.

We need an intersectional approach in climate mitigation and adaptation planning, one that includes the perspectives of organizations representing a spectrum of disabilities and those experiencing multiple forms of discrimination. This collaboration should extend to groups often overlooked, such as individuals with intellectual, psychosocial, and visual disabilities, as well as people from Indigenous communities.

Where We Need to Go

In the face of the climate crisis, our response must be environmentally sound, fundamentally just and embracing of an intersectional lens. Our actions must be not just about adapting to climate change, but also about upholding universal human rights.

For people with disabilities facing migration, it means securing the right to move safely and with dignity. 

The imperative for action grows along with the climate crisis. Our response will define the resilience of our communities and the depth of our commitment to justice in the face of climatic upheaval. 

Bounmy Inthavong is a researcher with Race and Disability Canada.