Climate Change and the Global South: An Intersectional Study of the Impact of Climate Change on LGBTQIAP+

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine how minorities and vulnerable communities, particularly LGBTQIAP+ individuals in the Global South, are disproportionately affected by climate change. The queer community often faces discrimination through cisgender-heteronormative State policies on employment, housing, and healthcare, resulting in exclusion from healthy environments and increased vulnerability. These institutional barriers, compounded by behavioral exclusion and mental health challenges, create environmental health disparities, as illustrated in a case study of transgender persons in India. Until 2014, India’s trans community lacked legal recognition as a “third gender,” leading to severe socio-economic exclusion. Mapping the effects of climate change on this community reveals entrenched queer biases within environmental jurisprudence and policy. As climate change becomes a central concern of international law and treaty obligations requiring collective State action, this paper exposes gaps in the global environmental regime regarding queer inclusion. It analyses the representation of LGBTQIAP+ interests in municipal laws and the responsibilities of States under international climate frameworks, emphasizing the third-world perspective and unacknowledged liabilities of developed nations. The paper underscores the lack of institutional and policy attention to queer climate vulnerability, despite their higher incidence of climate-related health issues, and calls for accountability among powerful stakeholders whose decisions rarely include queer representation. It further highlights the relevance of the “polluter pays” principle within international environmental law.