Disability and Climate Change Hot-Spots in Senegal: Considering Risks and Opportunities

Arlette Simo Fotso, French Institute for Demographic Studies (INED)
Géraldine Duthé, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
Kathryn Grace, University of Minnesota

People with disabilities face unique risks in response to both rapid- and slow-onset climate-related events because they may require different types of early warning information to accommodate their needs when responding to climate-related hazards. However, the needs of disabled populations are often not considered alongside climate hazards and mitigation planning. In this project, we take a significant step towards documenting and mapping the risks that people with disabilities face in the context of climate change. We use an innovative dataset—the Senegal RGPH, conducted in 2013, which measures disability using the recommended questionnaire of the Washington Group on Disability Statistics. We combine this data with satellite and gridded datasets that provide key climate measures related to temperature and rainfall, as well as land cover, population density, and infrastructure. This approach allows us to identify areas where climate hazard hotspots intersect with disabled populations, taking into account exposure and additional vulnerability factors.