&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Climate Change and the Health
of People with Disabilities
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Understanding the threats that climate change
poses to human health can help us work
together to lower risks and be prepared.
Climate change threatens human health, including
mental health, and access to clean air, safe drinking
water, nutritious food, and shelter. Everyone is affected
by climate change at some point in their lives. Some
people are more affected by climate change than
others because of factors like where they live; their age,
health, income, and occupation; and how they go
about their day-to-day life.
People with disabilities are a broad and diverse
community, and their needs differ depending on
individual circumstances like their age or ability to live
independently within their communities. In general,
however, climate change-related health impacts may
affect people with disabilities more than others. People
with disabilities often face barriers in accessing
healthcare services and in receiving timely public health
or emergency information in an accessible format.
Additionally, many people with disabilities experience
high rates of social risk factors that contribute to poor
health, such as poverty, unemployment, and lower
education. For example, people with disabilities are
twice as likely to be unemployed than those without
disabilities. People with limited incomes may not be
able to afford air conditioning in their home during heat
waves, increasing their risk of heat stroke.
What is climate change and why does it
matter for health?
We've all heard of it, but what exactly is climate change?
Greenhouse gases act like a blanket around Earth,
trapping energy in the atmosphere. Human activities,
especially burning fossil fuels for energy, increase the
amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere and
cause the climate to warm. Climate is the typical or
average weather for an area. Climate change is any
change in average weather that lasts for a long period of
time, like warming temperatures. Climate change affects
the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we
drink. It also leads to extreme weather events, like
flooding, droughts, and wildfires. All of these impacts
affect human health.
People with disabilities and their families, neighbors, or
caregivers can start taking steps now to protect
themselves against the negative impacts of climate
change. For example, social connections, especially
through faith-based organizations, family networks, and
work connections, can help people with disabilities plan
ahead for and cope with extreme weather events.
Community members can also take part in local
decision-making, especially emergency and urban
planning. Discussions like these raise awareness and can
help communities address the needs of all residents.
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Types of disabilities
Approximately 1 in 5 people in the United States
has a disability. This includes about half of all
American adults 65 and older and about 17% of
Americans age 21-64. Disabilities can occur in one
or more areas related to:
• Communication (seeing, hearing, or
speaking), which can include people who are
deaf, hard of hearing, blind, low vision (visual
impairment), or have speech or language
disorders
• Cognitive functioning (ability to plan,
comprehend, and reason), which can include
people with Down Syndrome,Traumatic Brain
Injury (TBI), Alzheimer's disease, or dementia
• Physical functioning (limited or no ability to
walk, climb stairs, or lift or grasp objects)
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE HEALTH OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
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Extreme events
Climate change will increase the frequency or intensity
of some extreme events, such as extreme heat events,
flooding (related to heavy rains, hurricanes, and coastal
storms), droughts, and wildfires. During heat waves,
certain risk factors can make some people with
disabilities especially susceptible to heat-related illness
and death.These include having dementia, depending
on others for assistance in activities of daily living,
having limited mobility (especially if confined to bed),
or not having access to transportation.
These factors can also increase health risks during
hurricanes and severe storms. People with disabilities
have had high rates of illness, injuries, or death from
these types of events. For example, almost half of
deaths from Hurricane Katrina were people over age
75 (even though they only represented less than 6% of
the population in the area), with over 10% of total
deaths occurring in nursing homes. Most of those
individuals had medical conditions and disabilities that
made them vulnerable.
If an extreme event requires evacuation, people with
disabilities have high risk of both physical and mental
health impacts. People with disabilities may have
reduced ability to receive or act upon emergency
information or instructions, or to communicate their
needs in an emergency or evacuation situation.
Messages about extreme weather or other emergency
information (such as a warning to boil contaminated
water) are not always designed or delivered in a way that
reaches individuals with disabilities, like those who have
hearing loss, low vision, or reduced mental capacity.
People with disabilities may also face additional
physical challenges associated with evacuations which
can make health impacts worse, especially if local
emergency response plans do not adequately
anticipate and address the special needs of these
populations. Examples from Hurricane Katrina include
the inability to meet demand for wheelchair-accessible
transportation, challenges associated with maintaining
adequate supplies of prescription medication or access
to necessary medical equipment like oxygen, and a
lack of evacuation shelters with appropriate facilities,
equipment, and trained staff to meet the various needs
of people with disabilities. Extreme events can also
cause power outages that can affect
electrically-powered medical equipment and elevators,
leaving some people with disabilities without
treatment or the ability to evacuate.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE HEALTH OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
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This fact sheet is based on "The Impacts of Climate
Change on Human Health in the United States: A
Scientific Assessment." To explore the full report, go to:
https://health2016.globalchange.gov
Learn More
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Disability
and Health: Emergency Preparedness
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/
emergencypreparedness.html
Climate Change: Human Health
http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts/health.html
Climate Change: What You Can Do
http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/
Ready.gov: Individuals with Disabilities and Others
with Access and Functional Needs
https://www.ready.gov/individuals-access-functional-needs
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CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE HEALTH OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
EPA 430-F-16-060
May 2016
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