Climate Change and Disability
A Collaborative Approach to a Sustainable Future
- 1st Edition - August 15, 2025
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Editors: Marcalee Alexander, Alexandra E. Fogarty, Carl Froilan D. Leochico
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 4 4 3 - 3 1 5 6 8 - 8
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 4 4 3 - 3 1 5 6 9 - 5
Until recently, little attention has been paid to the plight of persons with disabilities during extreme weather events and/or natural disasters. Little attention has also been… Read more
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Until recently, little attention has been paid to the plight of persons with disabilities during extreme weather events and/or natural disasters. Little attention has also been paid to the special needs of children with disabilities growing up in a changing world and the elderly who may rely on others for their day-to-day needs. Climate Change and Disability: A Collaborative Approach to a Sustainable Future delineates the general and specific risks of climate change for persons with disabilities and how we can use accessible approaches to mitigate, adapt and control these risks, while maximizing opportunities for persons living with disabilities. The book opens with an introduction on how we got here. The next chapters cover the framework for research and policy, the physiologic impact of different disabilities, and an overview of specific continents and countries; where hot issues related to climate change exist. Education and advocacy are covered in detail, and the book wraps up with a section on action and research, detailing how to respond to extreme weather events, including how various types of disabilities are impacted by different events. Climate Change and Disability: A Collaborative Approach to a Sustainable Future serves as a guide for a broad audience at the crossroads of environmental adaptation and human health. Rehabilitation physicians as well as physical and occupational therapists will find it valuable for tailoring care for people with disabilities due to climate change. Advocates and individuals with disabilities will gain insight into advocacy for inclusive policies and personal preparedness. Physicians and social scientists interested in the health and societal impacts of climate change will find it useful in informing their practices and research. Policymakers and politicians can utilize this resource to develop equitable climate strategies, ensuring that environmental justice includes those who are most vulnerable.
• Presents a variety of disabilities people live with and how these disabilities are impacted by climate change
• Demonstrates how people with a specific disability prepare for disasters and manage post disaster and other climate impacts
• Includes information on how a disabled person can advocate for their needs now and in a future with climate change
• Demonstrates how people with a specific disability prepare for disasters and manage post disaster and other climate impacts
• Includes information on how a disabled person can advocate for their needs now and in a future with climate change
Rehabilitation Physicians and Nurses, Physcial Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, Social Scientists, Policymakers, Researchers in Environmental Justice
1. How to Use This Book
Marcalee Alexander, Alexandra E.C. Fogarty and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
2. Climate Change 101: The basics of climate change
Ann-Christine Duhaime
3. Climate and Health: What is the connection?
Ilyssa O. Gordon and James Kingsley Sullivan
A Framework for Clinical Care, Research, and Policy Development
4. The Need for New Paradigms to Assess and Respond to the Impact of Climate Change on Disability
Marcalee Alexander and Jagger Alexander
5. Indigenous Peoples, Climate Change and Disability
Johnie Judd, Kyle Xavier Hill and Kimberley Greeson
6. Women, Climate Change and Disability
Asha Hans
7. Youth, Climate Change and Disability
Preston Le and Yichen Fang
8. Environmental Racism: From Theory to Praxis
Rasheda Vereen, Kimberley Greeson and Emily Affolter
9. Double Jeopardy: How Climate Change Affects Sexual and Gender Diverse Individuals with Disabilities
Eva Rawlings Parker and Rishub Das
10. Religion, Spirituality and Climate Change
Diana Marin
What to Expect Related to Climate Change and Specific Disabilities
11. Climate Change and the Profound Disabilities (SCI, MS, ALS )
Marcalee Alexander, Ali Saad and Melina Longoni
12. Climate Change and Pediatric Disabilities
Maya Sachter Newman, Rasheda Vereen and Damian E. Markov
13. Climate Change, Older Adults, and People with Chronic Illness
Cindy Lane Moore and Zhen Cong
14. Climate Change and Autism Spectrum Disorders
Matt Erb
15. Climate Change and Chronic Pain
Kirk Bonner and Gregory Decker
16. Climate Change, Arthritis and Musculoskeletal disorders
Tamiko R. Katsumoto, Thomas Bush, Chathurika Dandeniya and Vikram Chirgwin-Dasgupta
17. Climate Change and Traumatic and Nontraumatic Brain Disorders
Ali Saad and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
18. Climate Change and Hearing Disorders
Sue Sherratt
19. Climate Change and Visual Disorders
Barbara Erny and Yee Ling Wong
20. Climate Change and Psychiatric Disabilities
Andrew T. Olagunju, Candice Madakadze, Ver-Se Denga and Navya Manoj
21. Climate Change, Sports Medicine, and the Adaptive Athlete
Berdale Colorado, Charlotte DeRose, Marcos R. Henriquez and Melissa Tinney
Education
22. Communicating about Climate Change and concerns related to disability
Eryn Campbell
23. Educating health care and rehabilitation professionals about climate change and disability
Emma-Leigh Synnott, Ariana Schanzer, Joseph Steensma and Cindy Lane Moore
24. Educating climate change professionals about healthcare and disability
Joseph Steensma and Megan Sobolewski
25. Political Considerations
Beth A. Malow
Climate Change from the Lens of Rehabilitation Disciplines
26. Climate Change and Physiotherapy
Adesola Odole, Liala Cadelli, Cindy Lane Moore and Juliet Obaseki
27. Climate Change and Occupational Therapy
Carol Myers, Audi Q. Santos, Teresa Stock and Nishu Tyagi
28. Climate Change and Speech Therapy
Sarah Verdon
29. Climate Change and Rehabilitation Psychology
Aisling Lennon
30. Climate Change and Rehabilitation Nursing
Neetu Maitra, Richa Sharma, Vandana Sharma and Rebecca Phillip
31. Climate Change and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Adam Tenforde and Andrew S. Nowak
Advocacy
32. Disability Rights and Climate Change: A View from the field
Mark L. Johnson
33. PLANETARY HEALTH, CLIMATE AND DISABILITY
Davide Ziveri and Doris Zjalic
34. Disability-inclusive climate litigation
Stephanie Duke, Matthew Stephen Smith and Michael Stein
35. The Uneven Landscape of Disability Around the World
Amina Rahma Audu
Action and Research on the Immediate Effects of Climate Change
Marcalee Alexander, Alexandra E.C. Fogarty and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
36. An overview of climate change and disaster rehabilitation
Colleen O'Connell
37. Climate Change and the Rising Threat of Water Emergencies
Belgin Erhan, Seda Ozcan and Umit Sahin
38. Hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons
Marcalee Alexander
39. Drought and wildfires
Kazuko Shem and Phalgun Nori
40. Extreme Cold Spells and Related Concerns
Ingebjorg Irgens
Pictures from the Field
Marcalee Alexander, Alexandra E.C. Fogarty and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
41. The Mediterranean
Georgios Evmorfidis, Renatos Vasilakis, Paraskevi Sygkelaki, Christina-Anastasia Rapidi and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
42. Africa
Amina Rahma Audu, Adesola Odole and Doris Oyindamola
43. Asia
Nishu Tyagi, Taslim Uddin, Raju Dhakal and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
44. South America
Nina Carmela Tamayo and Damian E. Markov
45. The Caribbean and Small Island States
Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico, Marcos R. Henriquez and Marvin Louie S. Ignacio
46. North America
Courtney Howard and Colleen O'Connell
47. Australasia
Kimberly Humphrey and Emma-Leigh Synnott
Long Term Research and Solutions
Marcalee Alexander, Alexandra E.C. Fogarty and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
48. The Built Environment: Solutions for Living in a World impacted by Climate Change
Adele Houghton
49. Diet and it's impact on climate change
Sara Kellahan and Nartana Nishanath Mehta
50. Climate Change Modeling and how it can be used for persons with disabilities
Byomkesh Talukder, Monishankar Sarkar, Krishna Prosad Mondal, Reza Salim and Sheikh Tawhidul Islam
51. Sustainability in Rehabilitation Systems of Care and Practices
Anita Lowe Taylor
52. Recommendations for the Future
Alexandra E.C. Fogarty, Marcalee Alexander and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
53. Day for Tomorrow
Marcalee Alexander, Amina Rahma Audu, Melina Longoni, Maya Sachter Newman, Adesola Odole, Yannis (Ioannis) Eleftherios Dionyssiotis, Christina-Anastasia Rapidi and Colleen O'Connell
Resources
Marcalee Alexander, Alexandra E.C. Fogarty and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
2. Climate Change 101: The basics of climate change
Ann-Christine Duhaime
3. Climate and Health: What is the connection?
Ilyssa O. Gordon and James Kingsley Sullivan
A Framework for Clinical Care, Research, and Policy Development
4. The Need for New Paradigms to Assess and Respond to the Impact of Climate Change on Disability
Marcalee Alexander and Jagger Alexander
5. Indigenous Peoples, Climate Change and Disability
Johnie Judd, Kyle Xavier Hill and Kimberley Greeson
6. Women, Climate Change and Disability
Asha Hans
7. Youth, Climate Change and Disability
Preston Le and Yichen Fang
8. Environmental Racism: From Theory to Praxis
Rasheda Vereen, Kimberley Greeson and Emily Affolter
9. Double Jeopardy: How Climate Change Affects Sexual and Gender Diverse Individuals with Disabilities
Eva Rawlings Parker and Rishub Das
10. Religion, Spirituality and Climate Change
Diana Marin
What to Expect Related to Climate Change and Specific Disabilities
11. Climate Change and the Profound Disabilities (SCI, MS, ALS )
Marcalee Alexander, Ali Saad and Melina Longoni
12. Climate Change and Pediatric Disabilities
Maya Sachter Newman, Rasheda Vereen and Damian E. Markov
13. Climate Change, Older Adults, and People with Chronic Illness
Cindy Lane Moore and Zhen Cong
14. Climate Change and Autism Spectrum Disorders
Matt Erb
15. Climate Change and Chronic Pain
Kirk Bonner and Gregory Decker
16. Climate Change, Arthritis and Musculoskeletal disorders
Tamiko R. Katsumoto, Thomas Bush, Chathurika Dandeniya and Vikram Chirgwin-Dasgupta
17. Climate Change and Traumatic and Nontraumatic Brain Disorders
Ali Saad and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
18. Climate Change and Hearing Disorders
Sue Sherratt
19. Climate Change and Visual Disorders
Barbara Erny and Yee Ling Wong
20. Climate Change and Psychiatric Disabilities
Andrew T. Olagunju, Candice Madakadze, Ver-Se Denga and Navya Manoj
21. Climate Change, Sports Medicine, and the Adaptive Athlete
Berdale Colorado, Charlotte DeRose, Marcos R. Henriquez and Melissa Tinney
Education
22. Communicating about Climate Change and concerns related to disability
Eryn Campbell
23. Educating health care and rehabilitation professionals about climate change and disability
Emma-Leigh Synnott, Ariana Schanzer, Joseph Steensma and Cindy Lane Moore
24. Educating climate change professionals about healthcare and disability
Joseph Steensma and Megan Sobolewski
25. Political Considerations
Beth A. Malow
Climate Change from the Lens of Rehabilitation Disciplines
26. Climate Change and Physiotherapy
Adesola Odole, Liala Cadelli, Cindy Lane Moore and Juliet Obaseki
27. Climate Change and Occupational Therapy
Carol Myers, Audi Q. Santos, Teresa Stock and Nishu Tyagi
28. Climate Change and Speech Therapy
Sarah Verdon
29. Climate Change and Rehabilitation Psychology
Aisling Lennon
30. Climate Change and Rehabilitation Nursing
Neetu Maitra, Richa Sharma, Vandana Sharma and Rebecca Phillip
31. Climate Change and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Adam Tenforde and Andrew S. Nowak
Advocacy
32. Disability Rights and Climate Change: A View from the field
Mark L. Johnson
33. PLANETARY HEALTH, CLIMATE AND DISABILITY
Davide Ziveri and Doris Zjalic
34. Disability-inclusive climate litigation
Stephanie Duke, Matthew Stephen Smith and Michael Stein
35. The Uneven Landscape of Disability Around the World
Amina Rahma Audu
Action and Research on the Immediate Effects of Climate Change
Marcalee Alexander, Alexandra E.C. Fogarty and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
36. An overview of climate change and disaster rehabilitation
Colleen O'Connell
37. Climate Change and the Rising Threat of Water Emergencies
Belgin Erhan, Seda Ozcan and Umit Sahin
38. Hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons
Marcalee Alexander
39. Drought and wildfires
Kazuko Shem and Phalgun Nori
40. Extreme Cold Spells and Related Concerns
Ingebjorg Irgens
Pictures from the Field
Marcalee Alexander, Alexandra E.C. Fogarty and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
41. The Mediterranean
Georgios Evmorfidis, Renatos Vasilakis, Paraskevi Sygkelaki, Christina-Anastasia Rapidi and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
42. Africa
Amina Rahma Audu, Adesola Odole and Doris Oyindamola
43. Asia
Nishu Tyagi, Taslim Uddin, Raju Dhakal and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
44. South America
Nina Carmela Tamayo and Damian E. Markov
45. The Caribbean and Small Island States
Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico, Marcos R. Henriquez and Marvin Louie S. Ignacio
46. North America
Courtney Howard and Colleen O'Connell
47. Australasia
Kimberly Humphrey and Emma-Leigh Synnott
Long Term Research and Solutions
Marcalee Alexander, Alexandra E.C. Fogarty and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
48. The Built Environment: Solutions for Living in a World impacted by Climate Change
Adele Houghton
49. Diet and it's impact on climate change
Sara Kellahan and Nartana Nishanath Mehta
50. Climate Change Modeling and how it can be used for persons with disabilities
Byomkesh Talukder, Monishankar Sarkar, Krishna Prosad Mondal, Reza Salim and Sheikh Tawhidul Islam
51. Sustainability in Rehabilitation Systems of Care and Practices
Anita Lowe Taylor
52. Recommendations for the Future
Alexandra E.C. Fogarty, Marcalee Alexander and Carl Froilan De Guzman Leochico
53. Day for Tomorrow
Marcalee Alexander, Amina Rahma Audu, Melina Longoni, Maya Sachter Newman, Adesola Odole, Yannis (Ioannis) Eleftherios Dionyssiotis, Christina-Anastasia Rapidi and Colleen O'Connell
Resources
- Edition: 1
- Published: August 15, 2025
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Language: English
MA
Marcalee Alexander
Marcalee Alexander, MD is a specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. A graduate of Jefferson Medical College, she is a Past-President of the American SCI Association. In 2019, to motivate rehabilitation professionals and persons with disabilities to take action regarding climate change, she began a walk from Canada to Key West to educate people about disasters, disability and climate change and the need for an accessible, health-promoting environment. In 2020, she paused the walk due to Covid19. Concomitantly, she founded the 501C3 Sustain Our Abilities, whose mission is to educate people about climate change, disability and health. Dr. Alexander also is founding Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Climate Change and Health and is organizing Climate and Health 2023, a hybrid international meeting. Her walk, now named the Graham-Green Route Aiding Health Adaptation will resume 2/24/24 and she has created a Healthy Living Space petition as part of this journey.
Affiliations and expertise
President, Climate Health Society; Medical Director Cornell Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine Boynton Beach, FloridaAF
Alexandra E. Fogarty
Dr. Alexandra Fogarty, MD, FAAPMR, ABPM, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at the University of Utah. Triple board-eligible in PM&R, Sports Medicine, and Pain Medicine, she specializes in spine and musculoskeletal disorders, integrating advanced diagnostics with non-opioid, image-guided therapies to restore improve quality of life. Dr. Fogarty completed her Pain Medicine fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and a Sports Medicine fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis, where she also served as Academic Chief Resident. Her research focuses on sustainable practices in interventional pain care, including studies on the carbon footprint of medical procedures. She chairs the Sustainability Task Force and serves on the Board of the International Pain and Spine Intervention Society (IPSIS), promoting environmental responsibility in healthcare.
Affiliations and expertise
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USACL
Carl Froilan D. Leochico
Carl Froilan D. Leochico, MD, FPARM is a physiatrist from the Philippines who completed his fellowships in Brain Medicine at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Brain Rehabilitation at Toronto Rehabilitation Institute in Ontario, Canada. His research interests include telerehabilitation and its manifold applications and benefits, including environmental stewardship. He is among the telerehabilitation pioneers in the Philippines and led the development of their national telerehabilitation guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is the Secretary of the Telerehabilitation Special Interest Group of the World Federation for NeuroRehabilitation, a member of the Toronto Telerehabilitation Working Group, and has been a part of the Sustain Our Abilities focusing on public engagement regarding climate change, health and disparities.
Affiliations and expertise
Clinical Fellow, Brain Rehabilitation, University of Toronto, Canada; Physiatrist, Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila, and St. Luke’s Medical Center, Philippines