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DIRECT FROM ecoAmerica
Editor's Note: The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) strives to provide up-to-date and relevant information on environmental health and to build partnerships in the profession. In pursuit of these goals, we feature this column from ecoAmerica whose mission is to build public support and political resolve for climate solutions. NEHA is an official partner of ecoAmerica and works closely with their Climate for Health Program, a coalition of health leaders committed to caring for our climate to care for our health. The conclusions in this column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position of NEHA.
Laura Butler serves on multiple projects that work to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities at the Human Development Institute at the University of Kentucky. Rebecca Rehr is the director of climate policy and justice at the Maryland League of Conservation Voters and a Climate for Health Leadership Circle member. Sue Wolf-Fordham is a senior program manager for the Association of University Centers on Disability and an adjunct faculty member in public health at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
In November 2021, world leaders gathered at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) to discuss global climate policy and the urgent need to address harmful emissions that are accelerating global warming and extreme weather events devastating communities worldwide. Given the importance of this event and the need to hear from diverse voices, it was disappointing that the Israeli Energy Minister Karine Elharrar could not attend the first day of discussions because she uses a wheelchair and the meeting venue was not accessible (Franklin, 2021).
Climate change is accelerating with visible impacts around the world. Severe weather events such as heat waves, droughts, winter storms, floods, tornadoes, and other natural disasters are increasing in number and scale. Climate change can also cause increased disease and worsened physical, mental, and community health conditions (Clayton et al., 2021).
The 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. (approximately 61 million adults) with a disability and 15% of the world's population (approximately 1 billion people) with a disability are disproportionately impacted by disasters (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019; United Nations, 2014). The United...