Persons with disabilities are more likely to be left behind during disasters, excluded from planning, and denied access to essential services. This briefing reveals the real human cost of inaccessible climate responses.
At the European Disability Forum, we believe climate action must include everyone. Inclusive climate action is not only a legal obligation: it is a moral imperative. By placing disability rights at the centre, we can build a more resilient, just, and sustainable future for all.
In our briefng ‘Disaster by Design’, we show how current climate policies and emergency responses continue to ignore the rights, needs, and lived experiences of persons with disabilities. Inaccessible buildings, missing preparedness plans, and rising energy costs are more than policy failures: they threaten lives.
Through real stories and clear policy analysis, we call for urgent, systemic change.
What will you find in this briefing?
- Testimonies from persons with disabilities affected by floods, heatwaves, and energy poverty in Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Wales.
- A policy case study on the EU Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings, showing how climate legislation can and must be inclusive.
- Clear demands for disability-inclusive climate action, grounded in international human rights law.
- Recommendations for governments, EU institutions, and climate advocates to ensure no one is left behind.
Our demands
We call on public authorities, international organisations, and climate advocates to:
- Consult and involve persons with disabilities and their representative organisations in all climate-related decision-making.
- Fund and ensure accessibility in climate policy processes.
- Embed disability rights in EU climate legislation, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
- Collect inclusive data that reflects the diverse realities of persons with disabilities, considering intersectional factors.
- Support personal preparedness plans for persons with disabilities.
Download the briefing
- (PDF file) Disaster by Design: the cost of inaccessible climate responses and why we urgently need disability-inclusive climate action
- (Word file) Disaster by Design: the cost of inaccessible climate responses and why we urgently need disability-inclusive climate action
Trigger warning: this briefing includes personal stories from people with disabilities who were affected by the lack of accessible support during climate-related emergencies.