Our current course, CALS503: Climate Risk Management, has spent much time discussing not only the physical hazards and risks of a changing climate, but also the socio-economic, mental, and emotional risks facing vulnerable populations for whom adaptation might be more of a challenge. As Paolisso et al. argue in their article Climate Change, Justice, and Adaptation among African American Communities in the Chesapeake Bay Region, it is often the most vulnerable in our societies who have the least voice and a critical lack of equal rights or protection of interests from policy-makers.
Barriers to resources, including financial and physical resources, mean that those who already struggle with current climate variability and extreme weather events are especially burdened (Paolisso et al., 2012). In Canada, this includes many of our Indigenous communities, who are already encumbered with unsafe drinking water, poor infrastructure, and a lack of financial resources (Cecco, 2021). As Otto et al. discuss in their article Social vulnerability to climate change: a review of concepts and evidence, climate change is expected to exacerbate current vulnerabilities and inequalities, meaning that for many already vulnerable communities, preparing ahead for a climate emergency, while necessary, is simply not an option without help from governments and policy-makers.
In CALS502: Communication for Climate Action, we also discussed the concept of eco-ableism and the fact that climate change disproportionately impacts those with disabilities due to their “inherent vulnerabilities and limited access to knowledge” (United Nations, n.d.). As Hannah Dines writes in her article for the Guardian, “if [people with disabilities] aren’t represented at the top, the impact could be catastrophic for people like me who need certain reasonable adjustments to live our lives” (Dines, 2019).
With these concepts in mind, social vulnerabilities in the face of a changing climate have been a topic of great discussion while moving through the Design Challenge process for CALS501. Our prototype features an open-source learning tool for students aged 14-18 to study, engage with, and contribute to climate challenges faced both in their own communities and around the world. But an online tool, while opening doors for some, will still create barriers for others. The challenge to create an accessible tool that still provides great value to the users is not to be taken lightly.
Recently, our team conducted interviews of industry professionals as research towards our Design Challenge project. I interviewed a software engineer who has most recently worked on the Endangered Language Project for the First Peoples Cultural Council, which aims to contribute to Indigenous language revitalization and educate people about the value of Indigenous knowledge as a step towards reconciliation (FPCC, 2020). My interviewee was very positive about our project but did point out a number of barriers that may be faced by end-users.
Resistance to new software is one barrier that my interviewee pointed out that had not yet been fully considered by our team. My interviewee suggested that, in their experience, teachers are not provided with the time, nor proper resources (including sufficient training) to learn a new piece of technology, especially in areas where teachers are already stretched thin. While our team had considered the various accessibility barriers regarding a lack of equipment in poorer or remote communities, we had not considered time, training, and financial resources as a barrier for teachers wishing to use this tool.
Accessibility for neurodivergent, hearing and sight-impaired students, and students with other disabilities were also discussed. A web-based learning tool does allow for closed captioning and descriptive audio functions and provides students with the option to dim or brighten the screen and adjust the volume for comfort. However, no web-based tool is at this time 100% accessible.
These technological issues may seem unrelated to broader climate risks affecting the safety of a community, but the importance of accessibility, knowledge and proper educational resources to engage students with the realities of climate change cannot be undersold. A lack of knowledge is inherently dangerous as it does not allow for a vulnerable community to plan for or adapt quickly to extreme weather events caused by a changing climate. Vulnerable communities are less likely to have been sufficiently studied in terms of climate change impacts and have “fewer socioeconomic resources at their disposal to respond to environmental and societal threats to their communities” (Paolisso et al., 2012). If a community is unable to educate themselves regarding the risks they face, and if policy-makers are unwilling to step in to provide adequate resources, guidance and planning sessions, or even basic education surrounding climate risks, the community will have little chance to protect themselves against inevitable climate emergencies.
Highlighting the barriers within our socioeconomic systems is critical to understanding social vulnerability, and to make the best case for mitigation and adaptation action for our most vulnerable communities (Otto et al., 2017). Access to education and information regarding the climate risks facing all communities, especially the most vulnerable, will be imperative in working towards a more just and equitable future for all.
Resources:
Cecco, L. (2021, April 30). Dozens of Canada’s First Nations lack drinking water: ‘Unacceptable in a country so rich’. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/30/canada-first-nations-justin-trudeau-drinking-water
Dines, H. (2019, October 15). The climate revolution must be accessible – this fight belongs to disabled people too. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/15/climate-revolution-disabled-people-activism
First Peoples Cultural Council. (2020, February 27). Endangered Languages Project. Retrieved from: https://fpcc.ca/stories/endangered-languages-project/
Otto, I. M., Reckien, D., Reyer, C. P., Marcus, R., Le Masson, V., Jones, L., … & Serdeczny, O. (2017). Social vulnerability to climate change: A review of concepts and evidence. Regional environmental change, 17(6), 1651-1662. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-017-1105-9
Paolisso, M., Douglas, E., Enrici, A., Kirshen, P., Watson, C., & Ruth, M. (2012). Climate change, justice, and adaptation among African American communities in the Chesapeake Bay region. Weather, Climate, and Society, 4(1), 34-47. https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-11-00039.1
United Nations. (n.d.) How climate change disproportionately impacts those with disabilities. Retrieved from https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/how-climate-change-disproportionately-impacts-those-disabilities