The Climate Crisis is a Crisis for Disability Rights

Deadly Flash Flooding ripped through the Indian Himalayas on August 6th, 2025 Photo Credit: New York Times

OP-ED

Written by Kevin Sinanan

Co-Author Nesha Abiraj

From birth, with the exception of my family and friends, the world kept finding ways to show me I was different and to show me that I would never get to experience life in the same way as others. At the very least I thought I would be afforded equal protection under the law including the right to live in a safe and healthy environment and I would be heard at the policy and decision making table.

The truth is no one will ever fully understand what it means to be handed down a sentence of confinement to a wheelchair for the entirety of your life. No one can ever fully grasp the unique challenges I face or the fears and worry I experience during extreme weather events. I know I am not alone in this. An estimated 1.3 to 1.5 billion people are also living with disabilities across the globe.

When the opportunity arose to join Climate Rights & Justice International, I knew this was my chance to finally have a platform where I could transform the pain of my challenges into action, not just for myself but for the other 1.5 billion people like me. My disability became my special ability to be an advocate for my community.

In the context of how far one would have expected humanity to have evolved in the way we think, how we act and how we treat others, it feels like it is a shameful time to be alive. We live in a world where corporate entities and leaders of the world's largest polluting countries continuously make the choice to put themselves and profit first regardless of the consequences to planet, their own people, and those living in highly climate vulnerable regions. They have made it clear by their actions, words, misinformation and disinformation campaigns and greenwashing that whatever happens to people living in vulnerable coastal regions and in particular Island States, disability or not, our lives, quality of life and livelihoods do not matter. It has always been about money and it continues to be the prevailing view of the top polluters. In the immortal words of Mahatma Ghandi "The Earth has enough to satisfy every man's need but not every man's greed."

When I learned it was part of CRJI's mission to champion the cause of those living in highly vulnerable climate regions, and in particular Island States as a collective, for international climate justice and education, and upon learning about their commitment to ensure representation at every level, I was immediately drawn to the cause. I call upon others like me to embark on this journey with me. Now is not the time to be flippant.

Following successful completion of CRJI's first ever Climate & Human Rights Education Camp, I found myself drawn to reading and researching everything I could find on the climate crisis and its impact on disability rights. My disability became my superpower to be an Advocate to build a better inclusive world for all people- something my family have always taught me and have always fought for, on my behalf.

We live in a world that has made a select few impossibly rich and their influence runs deep into the very multinational corporations responsible for much of the crisis we face today. Thanks to the depth of their wealth, these polluters and those that support them have become well known for burying those seeking climate justice in Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation also known as "SLAPP" lawsuits making sure we do not have the means to fight back.

Additionally, those with extreme wealth are now extending their influence into the Fourth Estate with the "assurance" that they will maintain a free and fair press, but what happens when they decide it is no longer profitable for them to stay hands off? What happens when the stories that gets reported on, starts to get dictated by self serving private entities? The subterfuge can become endless.

What happens when those who have now become far more wealthy than some Governments and even entire countries begins to exert their influence to protect their own interest regardless of the consequences to vulnerable and marginalized communities? Persons with disabilities are already disproportionately affected by the climate crisis, yet why aren't our voices being heard? Why are we being silenced through under-funding and under-representation!

The world through lack of opportunity for educational and career advancement has failed my community, especially for those residing in low to middle-income country, but no more. A dangerous line has been crossed and if you are a person with a disability like me, we must fight back. In fact disability or not, we all have a responsibility to fight back.

In the immortal words of my school motto, The Princess Elizabeth Special School, "It is the ability and not the disability that counts."

Copyright Climate Rights & Justice International