Climate Justice needs disability leadership

ChangeABLE:
New GAP programme encourages people with disabilities to shape climate justice

People with disabilities make up 15% of the global population, and their knowledge and leadership are essential for a just response to climate change. Yet their voices are too often absent from policy and decision-making. 

ChangeABLE seeks to change that. We want to people with disabilities to feel engaged in climate action; that their perspectives are heard and placed at the centre of climate policy. 

This 36-month initiative, led by GAP Ireland with partners in Ireland, Italy and Germany, empowers adults with and without disabilities to become active climate activists. The project will build capacities for people with disabilities to shape systemic change, promoting more inclusive and climate-resilient communities across Europe.

The importance of speaking up, and being heard

At GAP, we believe the most important climate action is to use your voice: to speak up, demand change, and be heard. The second most important action is to stop acting alone. Climate change requires collective effort, not isolated choices.

Individual actions matter, but real transformation happens when people connect, organise and influence systems together. Grassroots movements that create a tipping point can spark societal and policy shifts. 

Behavioural science shows that people adopt sustainable practices more readily when empowered and supported, and collective behaviour can change rapidly once enough people act together.

ChangeABLE builds on this principle. By equipping people with disabilities to lead, organise and advocate, the project aims to ensure that their voices shape climate action.