The categorisation problem: disability, knowledge and justice in climate adaptation

npj Climate Action 2026 Open access

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Authors: Hollye Kirkcaldy, Keren MacLennan, Christina Demski, Annayah Miranda Beatrice Prosser
DOI: 10.1038/s44168-026-00399-7
Cited by: 0
References: 66

Abstract

Abstract Climate adaptation excludes Disabled people from policymaking despite disproportionate exposure to climate harms. Recent scholarship identifies this as epistemic injustice but its mechanisms remain underexamined. We argue adaptation frameworks devalue Disabled people’s knowledge by categorising them as inherently vulnerable, presenting ableist perspectives as objective truth – a process operationalised through Integrated Assessment Models. Achieving epistemic justice requires rejecting false objectivity and co-producing adaptation scenarios with Disabled communities through iterative situated modelling.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Climate Change Adaptation Migration Climate Change and Geoengineering Disability Rights and Representation

Publication details

Journal / source
npj Climate Action
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
5
Issue
1
Publication date
15 June 2026
Language
EN