New Global Report Shows Growing Momentum and Persistent Gaps for Disability-Inclusive Climate Action

As world leaders convene for COP-30, a new report released today by the Disability-Inclusive Climate Action Research Program at McGill University, the International Disability Alliance (IDA), and the Red Latinoamericana de Organizaciones de Personas con Discapacidad y sus Familias (RIADIS) highlights encouraging progress and urgent opportunities for advancing disability rights in climate policy.

The 2025 Status Report on Disability Rights in Climate Policies presents the most comprehensive global analysis to date of how the 195 parties to the Paris Agreement are integrating the rights of persons with disabilities into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and climate adaptation policies. Since 2022, the number of countries referencing disability in their climate policies has grown significantly – from 39 to 54 in NDCs and from 65 to 99 in adaptation plans.

The report finds the global average score for disability inclusion in climate policymaking has nearly doubled – from 1.3 in 2023 to 2.3 in 2025. This reflects a shifting landscape in which disability rights are increasingly seen as integral to climate policy-making. 

Nonetheless, the overall picture remains one of persistent gaps and uneven implementation. In NDCs, 72% of governments still make no mention of disability, and only 14% include concrete measures to advance inclusion. While over 50% of states now reference disability in their climate adaptation policies, only 35 include specific measures, such as accessible communication platforms or inclusive early warning systems. 72 parties to the Paris Agreement do not include even a single reference to persons with disabilities or disability in either their NDCs or adaptation policies.

The report introduces new indicators assessing how climate policies address the rights of women and children with disabilities, two groups that face compounded vulnerabilities in the face of climate change. Alarmingly, the report finds that only a handful of policies mention these populations, and almost none include targeted actions to support them.

As COP-30 unfolds in Brazil, the report calls on governments to take steps to ensure the full participation of persons with disabilities in climate decision-making, implementing concrete measures for inclusion, and addressing intersectional vulnerabilities.