THE climate crisis is stripping away safety, dignity and the very conditions needed to survive from persons with disabilities, says Pacific Disability Forum CEO Sainimili Tawake.
Speaking during the pre-COP Summit opening in Nadi on Monday, Ms Tawake said these were further escalated by the lack of access to proper infrastructure mechanisms.
“The disproportionate risks faced by persons with disabilities were not natural inevitabilities, nor are they caused by impairment,” she said.
“They are created and intensified by inaccessible infrastructure, exclusionary evacuation planning, and structural neglect.
“There can be no climate justice without disability justice.”
She said any policy, system, or investment that excluded persons with disabilities was not resilient, it was structurally deficient.
Ms Tawake pointed to the need to focus on Pacific realities.
“Look closely at the lived realities of our frontline states.
“In Tuvalu, climate-induced displacement is forcing communities onto shrinking landmasses. When emergencies strike, persons with mobility impairments face absolute physical blockades because evacuation centres lack basic ramps and accessible sanitation.
“In Fiji, our host nation, the severe flooding and cyclones of recent years have laid bare the profound systemic cracks in our safety nets.
“When schools and community centres are damaged, children with disabilities are permanently marginalised because alternative learning arrangements, temporary learning spaces, and educational materials completely fail to account for accessible formats.”
She explained these were not isolated logistical glitches but rather were systemic erasures.
