<
https://theconversation.com/disabled-people-face-greater-climate-change-risks-and-they-can-also-help-nz-adapt-289141>
"The impacts of a changing climate – from unprecedented rainfall and landslides
to heatwaves fuelled by warming seas – are increasingly being felt across New
Zealand.
But that doesn’t mean they’re being shared equally.
During the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods, in which an entire
summer’s worth of rain fell in one day, the emergency response was heavily
criticised after disabled people struggled to access support.
One tetraplegic man, evacuated from his home, reportedly spent the night in a
police station after no hospital or rest home could accommodate him.
More recently, amid flooding in Oamaru last month, one woman trying to evacuate
her blind nephew and another who uses a wheelchair found floodwaters made it
impossible to push the wheelchair to her vehicle, leaving them stranded.
Extreme weather events like these are just one part of the picture. In my
recently published research, those I interviewed described a wide range of
climate-related concerns.
But there was a common message: disabled people want not only to be heard, but
to play a leading role in guiding how New Zealand adapts to a changing
climate."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
