Green Disability Newsletter: When Heat Becomes Hostile - Voices from Delhi's Climate Crisis

A series of interviews with disabled, neurodivergent, and chronically ill communities reveal how heatwaves are reshaping lives in North India

As temperatures soar beyond 45°C in Delhi before May even begins, a hidden crisis unfolds within our communities. Through a series of intimate conversations with over 30 disabled, neurodivergent, and chronically ill individuals across North India, a stark reality emerges: climate change is not just an environmental crisis—it's a human rights emergency that disproportionately impacts our most vulnerable citizens.

The voices in this newsletter tell stories of survival, resilience, and systemic exclusion. They reveal how rising temperatures aren't just numbers on a thermometer, but lived experiences of isolation, pain, and the daily negotiation between safety and dignity in a city that seems designed to forget them.

The Weight of Heat: Stories from Behind Closed Doors

"It's like being trapped in your own skin," Ritu shared during our call, her voice breaking under the strain. Living with multiple sclerosis in a narrow, poorly ventilated ground-floor home in West Delhi, she stopped leaving her house in April when temperatures soared above 42°C. The heat affects her neurological condition severely, making her feel as though her body is being boiled from the inside.

Ritu's experience is far from unique. Research from South Korea demonstrates that disabled people face a relative risk of 5.075 during heatwaves compared to non-disabled people's risk of 3.296—making disability the most significant vulnerability factor, surpassing even age and poverty. In India, where heatwaves have become increasingly deadly, with mortality studies showing significant increases in heat-related deaths across multiple cities, this heightened vulnerability becomes a matter of life and death.

The infrastructure that surrounds Ritu compounds her challenges. Her street has no ramps, no shade, and broken footpaths overtaken by parked cars. When she attempts to use public transport, buses don't stop long enough for her wheelchair, and Metro elevators are frequently out of order. "I don't need sympathy," she said firmly, "I need a city I can survive in."

Sensory Overload in a Heating City

For Ankur, a 24-year-old with autism and sensory processing disorder, Delhi's rising temperatures have transformed an already challenging sensory environment into something unbearable. "The heat feels like needles on my skin," he explained during our conversation. "The noise from traffic is louder, the smells stronger. I feel like I'm dissolving."

The intersection of neurodivergence and extreme heat reveals layers of struggle often invisible to policymakers. Ankur has restructured his entire life around avoiding peak heat hours, leaving home only after 9 PM and canceling medical appointments during daytime. His schedule reflects a broader pattern among neurodivergent individuals who find their already limited access to public spaces further restricted by climate change.

"Sometimes, I feel like the city doesn't want me in it," Ankur shared, capturing a sentiment echoed across our interviews. This feeling of urban hostility isn't imagined—it's structural. Delhi's Heat Action Plan, while establishing cooling centers and early warning systems, makes no mention of sign language alerts, sensory-safe cooling zones, or coordinated support for disabled people during peak heat events.

The Economic Heat Trap

The economic impact of extreme heat on disabled communities reveals another layer of climate injustice. Rakesh, a street vendor with a spinal injury, described how his tricycle cart often overheats, forcing him to seek shelter under flyovers between sales. "I can't afford to stop, but my body can't go on," he said. During a recent heatwave, he fainted on the road, receiving water from passersby but no systemic support.

The International Labour Organization's 2023 report highlights that people with pre-existing health conditions face greater risks of heat-related illnesses, while informal workers—who constitute much of India's economy—often lack legal protections. In India, where approximately 26.8 million people live with disabilities (though experts suggest this number may be significantly underreported), this intersection of disability, informal economy, and climate vulnerability creates a perfect storm of marginalization.

Studies from North India demonstrate that disabled people face dual disadvantages of disability and poverty, with significant differences in labor force participation rates between disabled and non-disabled populations. When extreme heat makes work conditions unbearable, these existing economic vulnerabilities are magnified exponentially.

The Invisible Health Crisis

The mental health impacts of climate change on disabled communities emerged as a recurring theme across our interviews. Seema, who cares for her sister with schizophrenia, described how heat disrupts everything: medication schedules, sleep patterns, and emotional stability. "We're stuck at home. And that means more isolation, more outbursts. There's no cooling-off—in our home, or our heads," she explained.

This intersection of mental health and climate change rarely appears in emergency planning. Research shows that heatwave impacts on disabled people extend far beyond physical health, encompassing grief for lost independence, cancelled plans, and deferred dreams. The psychological toll of being systematically excluded from a city's climate adaptation measures cannot be understated.

Tanya, a blind woman living in East Delhi, shared her experience of being left behind during an emergency evacuation caused by electrical overload during extreme heat. "Everyone ran. I didn't even know what had happened until a neighbor came to help me," she recalled. There were no drills, no warnings, no protocols for disabled residents.

Community Resilience in the Face of Systemic Failure

Despite systemic exclusion, disabled communities in Delhi have created remarkable networks of mutual support. Our interviews revealed WhatsApp groups for sharing oxygen cylinder locations, volunteer networks delivering medicines, and tactile mapping initiatives for people with visual impairments. These grassroots solutions represent what one interviewee called "blueprints for survival."

Research on Disabled People's Organizations (DPOs) in North India validates this community-led approach. A randomized control trial across 39 villages in Uttarakhand demonstrated that DPO formation significantly improved access to community consultations, social activities, toilet facilities, rehabilitation services, and government welfare programs. These findings suggest that supporting community-led disability organizations could be crucial for climate adaptation.

However, these community networks operate despite, not because of, formal climate planning. India's Nationally Determined Contributions make no reference to accessibility or inclusive heat resilience, a silence that trickles down into local governance. Only 39 out of 195 countries globally have included disability considerations in their climate plans, according to the International Disability Alliance.

The Data Invisibility Problem

A fundamental challenge exposed through our interviews is the invisibility of disabled people in climate data. As one advocate noted, "We're invisible in climate data. We're not consulted in planning committees. We're rarely featured in media narratives around disaster relief or urban design."

This data gap is particularly problematic given research showing that young disabled people (ages 15-44) actually face higher heat-related risks than non-disabled elderly people. Without accurate representation in climate vulnerability assessments, policy responses remain inadequate and misdirected.

Research mapping disability and climate change knowledge reveals that academic scholarship rarely addresses these intersections as a coherent field of study. This academic invisibility reinforces policy blindness, creating a cycle where disabled people's climate experiences remain unrecognized and unaddressed.

Toward Climate Justice Through Disability Justice

The conversations documented in this newsletter point toward a fundamental reimagining of climate action. What would it look like to place disability inclusion at the heart of every climate plan? Several interviewees asked this question, challenging us to move beyond accessibility as an afterthought toward genuine inclusion as a foundation.

Recent research on green infrastructure emphasizes the need for resilient systems that navigate environmental resistance while promoting social mobility. For disabled communities, this means cooling centers equipped with ramps and sign-language interpreters, heat warning systems that account for sensory disabilities, and climate policies that recognize the unique vulnerabilities and valuable insights of disabled people.

International research demonstrates that disabled people are often excluded from climate change conversations, despite being uniquely positioned as "collaborators, caretakers, and advocates for a safer climate". Their experiences of navigating inaccessible systems provide crucial insights for building truly inclusive climate resilience.

The Urgent Call for Inclusive Action

As Delhi prepares for another summer of record-breaking temperatures, the interviews in this series reveal an urgent truth: climate action without disability inclusion is climate injustice. The rising heat doesn't affect everyone equally, and our policy responses must acknowledge these disparities.

The voices in this newsletter are not asking for sympathy—they're demanding structural change. They're calling for cities designed for survival, public spaces that accommodate all bodies, and climate policies that recognize disabled people as experts in resilience rather than merely victims of circumstance.

Heat is not abstract. It is lived and it is breathed. And for disabled people in Delhi, it has become a test of dignity, safety, and visibility in a city that is rapidly heating up while leaving its most vulnerable residents behind.

The stories in this newsletter represent just a fraction of the experiences shared during our interview series. Names have been changed to protect privacy, but their truths demand immediate attention and action.

About Green Disability: This ongoing campaign advocates for climate justice through disability justice, amplifying the voices and experiences of disabled, neurodivergent, and chronically ill communities as they navigate our changing climate.

References: 1.) https://lacuna.org.uk/environment/delhis-climate-crisis/ : Lacuna Magazine

2.) https://www.peaceinsight.org/en/articles/green-disability-disabled-communities-leading-local-peacebuilding-in-delhis-climate-crisis/?location=india&theme=health-counselling: Peace Insight

3.) https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2025/05/when-the-heat-takes-over-disabled-lives-pushed-out-of-public-spaces : Youth Ki Awaaz