新西兰残障人士在气候变化带来的极端降雨、洪水和热浪中面临不成比例的风险[1]。研究表明，残障人士在应急准备、响应和恢复阶段遭遇多重障碍，包括无障碍信息缺乏、临时住所无法进入和撤离困难[1]。2023年奥克兰周年纪念日周末洪水期间，一名截瘫患者因无法在医院或养老院获得收容，被迫在警察局度过一晚[1]。
政策制定中对残障问题的忽视加剧了这一困境。对123份中央政府气候政策文件的分析显示，仅29份涉及残障问题，其中仅7份进行了实质性讨论[1]。全球范围内超过1600篇适应倡议文章的研究表明，仅1%明确考虑了残障人士[1]。此外，残障人士更可能失业、住在不达标的租赁房屋中、经历物质困难和贫困[1]。
然而，残障人士不仅是气候变化的受害者，也是宝贵的适应资源。基于长期应对变化生活的经验，残障人士拥有重要的气候适应专业知识，应在气候适应工作中发挥主导作用[1]。奥克兰已启动残障人士主导的气候适应试点项目，已资助六个项目，包括无障碍适应应用程序和由毛利人创建的教育电影[1]。
Disabled individuals in New Zealand face outsized vulnerabilities to climate change impacts, yet remain largely absent from the country's adaptation strategies. Research reveals that people with disabilities encounter multiple barriers during emergencies and recovery efforts, including inaccessible information, unavailable temporary housing, and evacuation challenges.[1] During Auckland's anniversary weekend flooding in 2023, a paraplegic patient was forced to spend a night at a police station after being unable to secure accommodation at hospitals or care facilities.[1]
The exclusion of disabled people from climate policy discussions is systematic. An analysis of 123 central government climate policy documents found that only 29 addressed disability issues, with just 7 providing substantive consideration.[1] A broader global study of over 1,600 adaptation initiative articles revealed that merely 1% explicitly accounted for disabled people.[1] This oversight is particularly consequential given that disabled individuals experience higher rates of unemployment, inadequate rental housing, material hardship, and poverty—factors that compound climate vulnerability.[1]
Recognizing disabled people's unique adaptive capacity offers a path forward. People with disabilities possess valuable lived experience navigating life changes, positioning them as essential contributors to climate adaptation efforts.[1] In recognition of this potential, Auckland has launched a disabled-led climate adaptation pilot program that has funded six projects, including accessible adaptation applications and educational films created by Māori communities.[1]
