Advancing disability inclusive climate action: A resource guide for global practitioners

News-iag | October 24, 2025

Advancing disability inclusive climate action: A resource guide for global practitioners working on urban climate action, nature-based solutions, and energy transition.

CBM Global and the Global Disability Innovation Hub have launched a new Resource Guide to help climate actors embed disability inclusion across their work.

Climate change – and the ways we mitigate, adapt, and respond to it – is reshaping our world. Yet, persons with disabilities remain largely overlooked in planning, policy, and implementation of climate action.

According to the most recent available data, less than one in five climate-related aid activities has a disability inclusion objective. And only around one in every 100 has disability inclusion as a main objective. (CBM Global will publish a full analysis of this data later in the year.)

Practical resources and evidence on disability-inclusive climate adaptation and mitigation are also currently dispersed. The Resource Guide responds to this gap.

Drawing on global consultations with organisations of persons with disabilities and climate experts, the guide brings together tools, case studies, frameworks, and practical guidance to help governments, funders, technical experts, civil society organisations and development partners to:

• Understand the intersection of disability and climate change
• Apply inclusive approaches across programme activities such as planning, budgeting, procurement, and monitoring
• Explore sector-specific strategies for including persons with disabilities and achieving equitable outcomes
• Learn from practical examples and case studies

Whether you’re shaping strategy, managing budgets, leading communications, or involved in specific climate initiatives like nature-based solutions, energy transitions, or urban development, this guide offers practical tips and real-world examples to help you ensure your work delivers better outcomes with and for disabled people.

GDI Hub’s Head of Research Delivery, Mikaela Patrick, and IAG Director, Kirsty Thompson, describe the motivation behind this joint initiative:

“As organisations committed to disability inclusion and innovation, we see this guide as both a comprehensive resource and a starting point to build more evidence. There is an urgent need for deeper collaboration between disability and climate actors to generate and share knowledge, build mutual understanding, and strengthen inclusive practice.”

Disability and climate actors alike acknowledge the urgency of this call to action and endorse the contribution of the guide:

“This comprehensive guide is an essential resource that will help foster collaboration, learning, and action at the intersections of disability and climate justice.”

Dr Sebastien Jodoin, McGill University

 

“This resource will be incredibly valuable, not just for those in climate action, but also for anyone committed to embedding inclusion, especially disability inclusion, into their policies, projects, and programs.”

Seema Gaikwad, UNOPS

 

“True climate justice demands that disability and climate actors work hand in hand—sharing knowledge, resources, and solutions—so that inclusion becomes the standard, not the exception.”

Gordon Rattray, International Disability Alliance

 

“As we move toward an environmentally sustainable economy, it’s essential that the transition protects decent work conditions and leaves no one behind. This is the core of a just transition — and it must be inclusive of persons with disabilities from the outset.”

Stefan Tromel, International Labour Organization

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