More than two million people live with leprosy-related disabilities. Many of these people are cured of leprosy but still live with the economic and social costs of their resulting disability for the rest of their lives.
But it isn’t just stigma and livelihoods that is worrying Ahmed R. Ahmed from the Civil, Political and Monitoring Department of the National Human Rights Commission in Nigeria.
Climate change is projected to exacerbate malnutrition and food shortages in the world’s poorest regions which is expected to make life harder for people with leprosy-related disabilities and even cause new disabilities among the world’s poor.
Ahmed’s research reveals particular concern about how the frequency and intensity of severe weather events, as well as ecosystem degradation ‘poses both direct and indirect risks to human health, especially for children with disabilities related to leprosy”.
When natural disasters and extreme weather events hit, there are all-too-often higher mortality rates for people with disabilities. A two-pronged strategy is needed: resilience and adaptation.
I saw the impact of severe weather events on one leprosy survivor in India when I first met Nagammal in 2017. Despite being cured, she still had to navigate catastrophic 2015 floods as a person with a lifelong disability. Disability impacted her movement, communication, and access to food.
The social infrastructure of Disabled Peoples Organisations, or DPOs, is one way that communities with disabilities increase their social connectedness to become more resilient. There are countless DPOs that are connected with Leprosy Mission Australia’s projects that focus on microfinance, education, agriculture, and political rights.
In taking the rights of people with disabilities seriously we should also consider the planet we all inhabit. This Earth Day 2025, let’s not only celebrate our planet, but commit to tangible action.
To achieve these goals, we can amplify the voices of those impacted by leprosy and support the vital work of DPOs. We can unite behind policies that prioritise climate resilience for the most vulnerable, and invest in sustainable solutions that safeguard both human rights and the environment.
Only then can we ensure a future where no one is left behind, where the burdens of leprosy and climate change do not compound, but are met with compassion and collective strength.
