As every journalist, blogger, and influencer talks about COP26 and its new deals for climate change, one of the biggest voices is Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Thunberg critiques the frivolousness of these conferences, stating that they are nothing but “blah, blah, blah”—empty words with no actions. While some say the same about the 18-year-old, who only critiques leadership without offering solutions in return, her words hold weight, especially regarding one story that seemed to be overshadowed by the drama of the apocalyptic future that we may be heading towards. This story is about how the United Nations (UN), the champion of human rights, fails to be accessible. 

Israeli minister and wheelchair user, Karine Elharrar, tweeted, “Sad the UN does not provide accessibility to its events.” Later, Elharrar informed journalists that despite informing organizers of her needs in advance, the shuttle bus she was offered was not wheelchair accessible. Thus, she had to be deferred to another vehicle that was not allowed to enter the compound. 

This incident is not the only case of inaccessibility that unfortunately occurred during the conference. According to Disability News Service (DNS), there was a failure to provide British Sign language interpreters and captions for the broadcasts at COP26. 

Another incident regarding the closure of the accessibility entrance was when Jason Boberg from Sustained Ability Disability and Climate Network said that not only was he unable to join the conference, but the closure had also led to the injury of some of his colleagues. Boberg and others had to wait until the afternoon to enter when the accessibility entrance was opened, which caused them to miss some of the events. 

The significance of these incidents reveals that the UN, which published the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities back in 2008, may not follow its own policies, essentially rendering that document, and future ones, nothing but an empty promise to individuals with accessibility needs around the world. The fact that the UN’s lack of accessibility impacted influential people who attended COP26 only highlights that society forgets even the most important people in the room when it comes to accessibility. As Greta Thunberg eloquently put it, world leaders and organizations should be held accountable not by their words but by their actions. After all, actions speak louder than words. Obviously society needs to be more accountable, but it is the how that adds nuance to those words. We need more than policies, rules, and legislation that speaks about equality and equity. We need concrete, detailed plans to implement policies that ensure every wheelchair user is able to get around the city and enter any building with ease. It may require the redesigning of modern and old architecture to do so, but if it grants accessibility, just do it. 

I know that when we talk about accessibility everyone gets tight-lipped and considers the cost of it all, but I assure you it is worth every penny. Not only does an accessible city do wonders for those who need it, but it is also designed to make everyone’s life easier. 

With these incidents at the UN and the issue of the plastic straw ban, one would think that accessibility and keeping our Earth green are incompatible. It is only when society forgets about the needs of people with disabilities when crafting their green policies and products that they are inaccessible. It is possible to save the planet and the humans who live within it; it just requires more intentional consideration and collaboration.