When the Indonesian monsoon arrived in November 2023, Nahale, 52, began planting corn in her field. A woman farmer with a disability, she relied on rainwater as a primary water source. The rain abruptly ceased, however, causing the plants to wither and perish. Nahale lost all her seeds and suffered significant economic losses. Unaware that climate change was the culprit behind these unpredictable weather patterns, she continued with her usual planting schedule. But unlike previous seasons, the rain came at different intervals, leading to devastating crop failure.

People with disabilities, specifically women and older people, are often disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change. There are around 1.3 billion people in the world with disabilities. Approximately 23.3 million are in Indonesia. Climate change is already having a severe impact on Indonesia’s economy. Agriculture, fisheries, water supply and healthcare are all affected.

In 2024, the estimated financial loss so far was around 115.53 trillion Rupiah (upward of $US7 billion), with more significant losses expected. Climate change has caused prolonged droughts and reduced water availability in many parts of Indonesia, particularly Eastern Indonesia. In East Nusa Tenggara, the water availability is as low as 1,098.08 m3/capita/year, affecting more than 5 million people in the province.

Water insecurity

Climate change drives water and food insecurity, particularly affecting vulnerable communities. Crucially, women face extreme difficulties in accessing water for household needs, agriculture and livestock. Droughts exacerbate the challenge as it becomes increasingly difficult for women to find sufficient water sources to fulfil these essential requirements.

These conditions have profoundly affected the agricultural sector with multiple crop failures due to shifting weather patterns and water scarcity. El Nino worsened conditions, further challenging East Nusa Tenggara’s vulnerable agricultural sector. This puts farmers into financial stress. Disabled farmers, like Nahale, are especially vulnerable, along with women generally and the elderly.

Their incomes have seen a considerable decline, leading to increased debts and interest payments to banks or cooperatives. As the family head, with the responsibility of providing for their families’ needs, Nahale and other women with disabilities or elderly women who face similar situations have limited time to take care of their own well-being, leading to health insecurities.

Nona, Nabaga and Nabunga

Take the case of Nona, a 47-year-old woman with a disability and a member of a minority tribe. After the death of her husband, who was the primary breadwinner, she was left with three children to support. She then became a motorbike taxi rider to drop passengers from her village to the cities.

However, Nona’s job was affected by climate change because of the rapid shift in weather patterns, she could not go out to deliver her service to her customers because of sudden rain during the day. This puts her family in economic hardship because of income loss.

To survive, she had to develop her cooking skills and sought assistance from a cooperative to access credit for starting a small catering business. However, this puts her in a debt situation. Nona's journey reflects how individuals like her must adapt and find alternative ways to make a living amid the effects of climate change.

The strategy of increasing women's economic empowerment through diversification of livelihood becomes important to counter the adverse effects of climate change.

Nabaga, a 76-year-old female farmer with physical disability, also has experienced crop failure and turned to IKAT weaving to make ends meet. However, Nabaga faces challenges in marketing her IKAT weaving products and needs support in accessing broader markets to ensure viable sales.

Extreme weather events caused by climate change hamper the ability of the disabled, older people and women, to access healthcare. Nabunga, 70, from Kupang, with a mental disability, is unable to receive crucial health services. Her name is not listed in the government-based data as a person with disability who is eligible to receive social aid and health services, which puts her at heightened risk and increases her vulnerability during disasters caused by climate change.

She finds solace and assistance from the supportive community around her and church. Hers is not an isolated case.

Government intervention is vital to provide these vulnerable women with essential social protection and welfare support. The Indonesian government ratified the Paris Agreement—a legally binding international treaty that serves as a guideline for nations to address and reduce climate change impacts—in 2016 to significantly show its commitment to adapt, mitigate and develop its climate goals as part of global climate actions.

However, climate change-related planning, policy-making and actions have not adequately considered the overlaps between climate change, disabilities, age, gender and social inclusion. The detrimental impact on most vulnerable community members is the lack of necessary support to cope effectively with climate change's effects.

The government could consider the connections between climate change, disabilities, gender, age and social inclusion in its planning processes to achieve meaningful participation and ensure the protection of society's most vulnerable members.

Women such as Nahale, Nona, Nabaga and Nabunga are vulnerable because they face related challenges brought on by climate change. The government could empower these women and millions like them by providing essential social protection and welfare support.

Considering multiple, overlapping factors can help avoid exacerbating their multiple vulnerabilities due to climate change. These considerations will pave the way for a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. This approach will achieve three objectives: Enhance the marginalised community's resilience, foster a more equitable and sustainable response to climate change and achieve the sustainable development goals.

Ultimately, the approach will enable policies and actions to address different vulnerable communities' specific needs and challenges in Eastern Indonesia.

-360info