Climate Crisis and Self-Help

The climate crisis will pose new challenges for self-help work in the coming years, challenges that are being systematically analysed for the first time in Germany. The project “Climate Crisis and Self-Help Work” aims to support self-help organisations of people with chronic illnesses and disabilities in two ways: by helping them make their organisational work more climate-friendly, and by enabling them to better protect the health of their members.

Project Objectives

The project aims to raise awareness of the climate crisis among leaders of self-help organisations. On behalf of the Federal Working Group for Self-Help of People with Disabilities, Chronic Illnesses and Their Relatives (BAG Selbsthilfe), the CPHP identified the impacts of climate change on people with chronic conditions and disabilities and, together with BAG Selbsthilfe, developed coping strategies.

Methodology

In collaboration with BAG Selbsthilfe and the Institute for Environmental Medicine, CPHP developed a practical guide on heat protection, addressing the following questions:

What health risks does heat pose for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses?
What advisory needs do self-help organisations have concerning heat?
How can vulnerable people protect themselves during heat periods?

In addition, a strategy paper for climate-friendly organisational practices was developed, providing simple, low-cost, and accessible measures for emission reduction tailored to self-help organisations. Finally, CPHP prepared a policy brief to inform political decision-makers about the specific needs of vulnerable groups and to outline political options for structural change.