**The Social and Economic Inequalities of Climate Change Events on the Elderly, Disabled and Homeless Societies in the Caribbean**

#### **Debra D. Joseph and Roshnie A. Doon**

**Abstract:** The are several vulnerable populations experiencing climate change events around the world that continue to threaten the health and well-being of some of the most susceptible populations in our society, such as, the elderly, the disabled, and the homeless. Although there are 100 million homeless people globally, overall, 1.6 billion people live without proper housing. Such hardship implies that this population group might be unable to effectively prepare, respond, and recover from climate change events. In the Caribbean, this group of people is at risk because of the volatile nature of climate change, such as, changing temperatures and catastrophic weather events, which may not be included in the design of mitigation plans. This presents a significant gap, as there is limited information in the literature that highlights the impact that climate change may have on these vulnerable groups existing in the Caribbean. This chapter seeks to fill this gap by discussing the social and economic inequalities that climate change events pose to elderly, disabled, and homeless individuals. By implementing a secondary research methodology, this study finds that in the Caribbean, these groups tend to lack financial and physical resources to respond and recover from climate change events due to their low income and the inequitable and inefficient dissemination of information on climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.

#### **1. Introduction**

According to Rhiney and Baptiste (2019), climate change and its accompanying threats in the Caribbean can be seen as developmental in nature. Presently, it deepens existing vulnerabilities that can prove debilitating and impact issues such as poverty and inequality. Vulnerable groups such as the homeless, elderly, and disabled could be negatively affected by climate change, especially if elderly individuals are both disabled, and homeless. Layers of inequalities can create a heavy burden for these three categories of individuals. Awareness of the consequences can lead to effective interventions to help alleviate such a burden. All human life is essential. Worth and dignity coupled with a propensity to grow should be values that are adhered to with the utmost standards. EPA (2021) states that one of the populations that are adversely affected and socially vulnerable to climate change is the elderly: a group aged 65 years and over. Bryant et al. (2022) add that people 65 and older are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change because of special needs and

advancing age. They reiterate that, despite their vulnerability, older people are often omitted from climate change discussions and don't have a seat at that table. Bryant et al. (2022) state that first responders, health care providers, and society, in general, tend to overlook older adults until after an extreme event or post-disaster. They add that few initiatives have focused on studying the long-term consequences of these events for the older population, preparing at-risk older adults and their families for such events, or helping this population and their families better comprehend, prevent, and mitigate the long-term debilitating effects of climate change. The issues and challenges that impact the elderly, disabled and homeless are discussed in this chapter from a physical, health, and psychological point of view. Furthermore, this chapter also strives to discuss the economic implication of climate change events on this population segment in the Caribbean. Emphasis is placed on the social and economic inequalities of climate change events on these vulnerable groups. Within the climate change literature, although there is much that has been conducted on the Caribbean's extreme vulnerability to climate change, there has been very little consideration made regarding how these events (natural or man-made disasters) impact the elderly, disabled, and homeless in Caribbean society. As a result, the needs and inequalities experienced by these groups are often inadequately captured and addressed in climate change resilience plans in the Caribbean. This presents a significant research gap in the literature, which this study seeks to fill, and in doing so, this study from a Caribbean perspective makes two important contributions.

The first is it examines in detail the social inequalities that the elderly, disabled, and homeless groups in the Caribbean are likely to experience during climate change events from the perspective of the aging process, cognitive impairment, social isolation, and other issues. Secondly, it examines the economic implications that climate change events are likely to have on the elderly, disabled, and homeless in Caribbean societies from the perspective of having limited household incomes, precarious housing and public infrastructure, health and safety, and climate change adaptation measures that are designed with these vulnerable groups in mind.

A summary of the review findings highlights that from the social perspective, the elderly, disabled, and homeless populations face a myriad of challenges because of climate change events such as storms and hurricanes. Their vulnerability increases as a consequence of these events. Each member of the population highlighted has its own set of issues that can overlap with each other. Strategies need to be put in place by those in charge to help alleviate these challenges, especially in times of crisis. Everyone is important, and no one should be left behind. This also speaks to the promotion of human rights for all.

Additionally, a review of the economic implications that climate change is likely to have on elderly, disabled, and homeless groups in the Caribbean reveals several interesting findings. Firstly, elderly women who might also be homeless and people who are rendered homeless during and after climate change events might not have sufficient household income to access basic needs. This problem

may be exacerbated during climate change events, as they may be allocated fewer resources. Second, during climate change events, the movement of both the elderly and the disabled is severely hampered by different modes of transportation, which can become inaccessible to those affected. The lack of inclusion of different modes of public transportation creates an even greater risk during these events as the elderly and disabled might use these services less. Third, it is expected that during periods of excessive rainfall, the overall health of the homeless would be lowest during this time because they may be more susceptible to foodborne, waterborne, and vector-borne diseases, with little access to secure and safe forms of housing and clean drinking water. Fourth, the destruction of green spaces during climate change events may negatively impact the health outcomes of older people, leading to a rise in chronic health conditions. Fifth, since elderly, homeless, and destitute people in the Caribbean are also known to suffer from the negative effects of extreme temperatures and, in some instances, heat waves, there is a need for risk assessment and communication studies to be undertaken to consider how climate change impacts them, and how they can respond to these events.

This chapter is organized as follows. Following the introduction in Section 1, a brief discussion in Section 2 is provided on the material and methods implemented in this study. This is followed by Section 3, which examines the social inequalities of climate change events in elderly, disabled, and homeless societies in the Caribbean, and then Section 4 explores the economic implications of climate change on the elderly, disabled, and homeless in the Caribbean. Finally, the study is concluded in Section 5.

#### **2. Research Methodology**

Given that this study is conceptual in nature, it focuses heavily on analyzing the existing literature and how climate change events impact elderly, disabled, and homeless societies in the Caribbean. Such a conceptual framework is necessary as it is built upon the existing literature, which is appropriate when discussing the social and economic implications of climate change on these specific vulnerable groups.

To build this framework, first, the topic for research, i.e., the social and economic inequalities of climate change events on elderly, disabled, and homeless societies in the Caribbean, was decided upon. Second, using a secondary research perspective, several pieces of literature which are relevant to the topic were collected. These collected works were obtained from many reliable sources such as relevant books, scientific journals, and reports from climate change and environmental institutions such as the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the United Nations (UN).

Third, when using the literature, emphasis was placed on the social and economic implications that elderly, disabled, and homeless groups are likely to experience resulting from climate change events. Emphasis was placed on social and economic factors as together they influence the ability of these vulnerable populations to achieve long, healthy lives, as well as reduce long-term inequalities in society. Fourth and finally, using the relevant literature available, a research framework was developed. To this effect, in this study, two frameworks were developed. The first examined the social inequalities of climate change on the elderly, disabled, and homeless in the Caribbean. To perform this, the physiological and psychological reasons why these vulnerable segments are more susceptible to the effects of climate change were examined. The second framework examined the economic implications of climate change on the elderly, disabled, and homeless in the Caribbean. To conduct this, economic factors, which included but were not limited to household income and public sector provisions, were examined in the context of climate change events in the Caribbean.

In the case of this study, a conceptual research methodology was appropriate because it was cost-effective, used fewer resources, it was likely to assist in generating new research ideas, as this study can be a foundation upon which climate change data are collected based on the experiences of these vulnerable groups. Using this study can help identify patterns in the literature and can improve the overall analysis of the topic.

Using this approach, the literature map used to inform a discussion on the economic implications of climate change on the elderly, homeless, and the disabled in the Caribbean in Section 4 is shown in Figure 1 below. This figure identifies the 5 major themes to be discussed, i.e., limited household funding, housing and public infrastructure, health and safety, climate change adaptation, and research and development.

**Figure 1.** Literature map of the economic implications of climate change on the elderly, homeless, and disabled in the Caribbean. Source: Figure by authors.

#### **3. Social Inequalities of Climate Change Events on Elderly, Disabled and Homeless Societies in the Caribbean 3. Social Inequalities of Climate Change Events on Elderly, Disabled and Homeless Societies in the Caribbean**

homeless, and disabled in the Caribbean. Source: Figure by authors.

The seven major themes discussed for social aspect in this paper can be seen in the concept map in Figure 2. The seven major themes discussed for social aspect in this paper can be seen in the concept map in Figure 2.

**Figure 1.** Literature map of the economic implications of climate change on the elderly,

**Figure 2.** Literature map of the social implications of climate change on the elderly, homeless, and disabled in the Caribbean. Source: Figure by authors. **Figure 2.** Literature map of the social implications of climate change on the elderly, homeless, and disabled in the Caribbean. Source: Figure by authors.
