Disability-friendly Climate Activism
Climate activism often involves needing to reduce emissions, materialism, and consumption.
But as chronically ill or disabled people we often need things that are not "eco friendly" like
-Climate control
-Plastic straws
-Disposable medical supplies
-Motorized transport
-Some dietary changes (although others can be more eco friendly)
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Why do we feel hypocritical of these needs?
We need to acknowledge the legacy of eco-fascism. An idea that a part of environmentalism includes eugenics removing disabled people because of a need to reduce population, supported by disabled peoples' "additional burden" on society. This mentality is wrong. Ethically we want environmentalism because it preserves life on this planet. To argue murder in defense of life is not the answer. Redistributing resources and investing in sustainable solutions can easily provide basic living necessities for all, the problem is extravagant overconsumption.
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How do disabled needs fit into environmentalism?
The answer is in the word "need". Environmentalism is about preserving what we need to survive. For most that are water, food, shelter, etc. Things that threaten water security, farming sustainability, extreme weather that destroys homes, all of those are dangers environmentalism seeks to address. Disabled people add nuance to this discussion, reminding us that there is a technology like insulin production, medical tech, pain killers, climate control, etc. That now addresses needs in a subset of the population. So our environmental solution needs to include a way to preserve lifesaving technology and make it sustainable.
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Environmental justice Vs. Environmentalism.
Whereas environmentalism is just about preserving the environment, environmental justice still focuses on climate change but also addresses the way that marginalized groups contribute the least to climate change yet suffer the most consequences. Environmental justice is a stronger alternative to environmentalism. To have ableist free climate activism I recommend environmental justice.
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To each according to need.
Environmental justice and anticapitalism go hand in hand. Environmental justice will require a redistribution of resources so that rather than large portions of the world consuming far more than they need, people around the world have their basic needs met. For disabled people, this often means being given more resources to have basic needs met. This is not counter to environmental justice but part of it.
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A stronger argument for consumption reduction.
From this perspective, you can rephrase arguments from "you shouldn't consume plastic because it is unsustainable" to "you should not consume fast fashion because we have a limited ability to continue to produce plastic items and other people need oxygen tubing, cannulas, and PICC line covers." To me, these arguments are stronger. It directly ties the abuse of our current technology and way of life to the loss of lifesaving benefits of that technology.
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Examples continues…
"Don't waste electricity cause it causes climate change" is a standard argument, but a stronger argument is "Don't waste electricity because it causes heat waves and power outages that can kill people who rely on climate control and life support."
"Create car-free zones because it is environmentally friendly" is less persuasive than "Create car-free zones because it makes safe navigable zones for wheelchair and mobility scooters while improving air quality for those with reduced lung function." A clean world is also a healthier world.
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In summary
Environmentalism has deep ableist and eugenical roots.
If we look past these roots, we see environmentalism is about preserving what people need to survive. Better conceptualized as environmental justice.
Ableist-free climate activism provides a stronger argument for reducing consumption because it contrasts our wasteful consumption with the places we should be prioritizing limited resources to save lives.
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Climate action and Disability Activism are not enemies.
Disabled people are some of the most dependent on modern technology. From medical items to climate control to mechanized transportation we depend on the modern world to survive. Therefore, we are also most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Disabled people disproportionately die in extreme weather like storms, heat waves, and bush fires. People dependent on life support or climate control are highly vulnerable to power outages and the effects of the climate crisis. Not to mention 80% of the world's disabled people live in the Global South an area that is disproportionately feeling the consequences of climate catastrophe.
Environmental justice is stronger because it highlights the direct consequences of failing to implement environmentalism on the most vulnerable members of society.
When we make Climate Activism inaccessible through focusing on superficial greenwashing actions like banning plastic straws, we ignore the much more persuasive real arguments for Climate Action Now - primarily the people who will die if we do not act immediately to reduce emission and waste.
Disabled needs are needs. In a world with so much waste and surplus, it is absolutely stupid to waste time arguing about this basic accommodation rather than targeting the massive wastage of food, clothing, and consumer goods that are ruining our one and only home. Do not feel guilty for your lifesaving disposable medical supplies or climate control. Do not let your needs keep you from sharing valuable disabled perspective on the climate emergency that affects us all.
