How to bring disability rights into the climate movement
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Climate activist Umesh Balal Magar’s hometown is in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal.
“We are facing the huge water crisis in the rural areas,” he told Blue Marble.
“Those impact especially the Indigenous community. And inside the Indigenous, also there are people with disabilities, and we are the most vulnerable people.”
Early warning systems for environmental catastrophes such as floods are not disabled-friendly, he said.
A deaf person cannot hear a warning siren, and a blind person cannot read an emergency text alert.
Due to the current state of Nepal’s infrastructure, people cannot always move wheelchairs easily.
“The problem is, these are also not mentioned in the policy, these are not also mentioned in the rescue plan,” he said. “I just think, how can I advocate for the climate change and disability?” Umesh has taken his call for disability rights in the climate movement from Nepal to international platforms, and it's making a difference.
