A/HRC/44/30 Those drivers can harm freshwater ecosystems and lead to the degradation of water supplies including for human consumption and agriculture.30 18. People living in poverty are at the greatest risk of lack of access to water, in particular persons with disabilities, who already face barriers in accessing safe water for drinking, hygiene and sanitation, including related facilities That is because of both a lack of household access, which often results from insufficient financial resources, and a general lack of access in public environments.31 E. Livelihoods and decent work 19. Inadequate or lack of access to education, discriminatory attitudes and practices and socioeconomic factors result in high levels of under- and unemployment among persons with disabilities.32 Globally, the ratio of employment to population for persons with disabilities is 36 per cent on average. That ratio is 60 per cent for persons without disabilities.33 Climate change impacts exacerbate the barriers faced by persons with disabilities in the world of work, for example when job opportunities are lost because of the economic impacts of climate disasters or when heat stress causes manual labour to be hazardous.34 Environmental degradation often affects marginalized workers the most, among others persons with disabilities.35 20. Slow-onset events will impact agricultural livelihoods. Indigenous persons with disabilities who are small-scale agricultural producers risk losing the possibility of independent living owing to climate change impacts that undermine agricultural production and thereby their livelihoods. Fisheries and the livelihoods of fisherfolk may be impacted by changes in temperature and ocean acidity, leading to the migration or even collapse of fish stocks. Impacts are amplified for persons with disabilities, who are already marginalized in the field of work and who may experience adverse health impacts because of climate change that have implications for their ability to work.36 F. Human mobility 21. Climate change contributes to extreme weather events, which was one of the main causes of the movement of 28 million people in 2018.37 However, the ability to migrate often depends on resources and mobility; the most marginalized may be unable to migrate and forced to remain in locations that are subject to climate change harms (see A/HRC/31/52). Those who move or migrate, be it internally or across borders, may be in need of international human rights or refugee protection. Persons with disabilities are at risk of being left behind in a degraded environment without social and support networks when members of their family or community move because of climate change impacts.38 22. Those persons with disabilities who do move can face challenges related to mobility, the need for assistive devices and accessible transportation, accommodation and services. 39 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 See United Nations Environment Programme, “Climate change and human rights” (December 2015). See John Twigg and others, “Disability and climate resilience: a literature review”; and Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Disability and Development Report, p. 119. See International Labour Organization (ILO) policy brief, “Persons with disabilities in a just transition to a low-carbon economy” (October 2019). See Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Disability and Development Report, p. 152. See ILO, “Persons with disabilities in a just transition to a low-carbon economy”. See ILO, “The employment impact of climate change adaptation. Input document for the G20 Climate Sustainability Working Group” (August 2018). See ILO, “Persons with disabilities in a just transition to a low-carbon economy”. Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, Global Report on Internal Displacement (2019). See Mary Keogh and Maria Gonzalez, “Climate change: this century’s defining issue. The 4 P’s for inclusion of persons with disabilities within climate change plans: personal, programmes, policy and political” (2020); and John Twigg and others, “Disability and climate resilience: a literature review”. See John Twigg and others, “Disability and climate resilience: a literature review”. 7