The Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School, the Harvard Law School Project on Disability (HPOD), and the Disability-Inclusive Climate Action Research Programme (DICARP) at McGill Law Faculty are pleased to announce a call for submissions for the following digital symposium hosted by Bill of Health:
BEYOND VULNERABILITY: THE RIGHTS AND AGENCY OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN THE CLIMATE CRISIS
Although persons with disabilities are increasingly understood as uniquely vulnerable to the climate crisis, they continue to be neglected in climate adaptation and disaster risk readiness policies. As a result, people with disabilities experience disproportionate rates of mortality and morbidity in the context of severe weather events (such as floods, cyclones, or heatwaves) and slow-onset phenomena (such as coastal erosion or gradual increases in temperature) fueled by the climate crisis. The adverse effects of the climate crisis are felt by most acutely by persons with disabilities affected by additional forms of systemic discrimination, including women, girls, LGBTQIA+ individuals, Indigenous people, and people of color.
Further, many measures aimed at reducing carbon emissions, such as bans on single-use plastics, have only reinforced social inequities for people with disabilities. More broadly, climate decision-making processes are failing to engage people with disabilities, integrate their knowledge, and recognize their role in addressing the climate crisis. Disability-inclusive climate decision-making and solutions are not only essential for safeguarding the lives and dignity of persons with disabilities, but may also enhance the equity and effectiveness of the global transition to climate-resilient and low-carbon societies.
To advance this critical discussion, the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School, the Harvard Law School Project on Disability (HPOD), and the Disability-Inclusive Climate Action Research Programme (DICARP) at McGill Law Faculty are soliciting brief (750-1,000 word) reflections on the rights and agency of persons with disabilities in the climate crisis. These reflections will be published as a digital symposium on Bill of Health, the blog of the Petrie-Flom Center.
If you are interested in contributing, please submit your brief proposal through the following link. We are reviewing proposals on a rolling basis with priority to those submitted before December 17, 2022. If selected, draft articles will be due on or before February 1, 2023.
Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the below topics.
LIVED EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN THE CLIMATE CRISIS
- How are people with disabilities around the world affected by the climate crisis?
- How does disability interact with other structural forms of injustice to generate and exacerbate vulnerability to climate change?
- What roles are persons with disabilities playing in adaptation efforts?
- What strengths can persons with disabilities contribute to adaptation planning?
- What examples of resilience and innovation can be learned from individuals or groups of individuals with disabilities?
DISABILITY AND EFFORTS TO REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS
- How are persons with disabilities affected by efforts to reduce carbon emissions in different sectors (such as transportation, urban planning, products and services, agriculture, and natural resources)?
- How can efforts to decarbonize societies be harnessed to foster more disability-inclusive societies?
- What solutions can people with disabilities propose for decarbonizing different sectors?
- How can allyship be leveraged to strengthen efforts to reduce carbon emissions?
THE MULTIPLE BENEFITS OF DISABILITY-INCLUSIVE CLIMATE ACTION
- How can Universal Design for Learning be applied to the design of climate action?
- What ripple effects/benefits beyond the disability community might disability-inclusive climate adaptation have?
- What ripple effects/benefits beyond the disability community might disability-inclusive climate mitigation have?
For symposium-related questions not addressed in this call, please email creichel@law.harvard.edu.
