Liz Tesone’s family love to swim.<\/p>\n
They organise day trips to the beach, swim in the local pool, and holiday at the Victorian coastal town, Inverloch.<\/p>\n
Tesone is the CEO of not-for-profit organisation Disability Sport and Recreation and parent to two sons, the youngest of whom is Jordy, who was born with a rare genetic condition called Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS), an intellectual and physical disability.<\/p>\n
“You can replace the words ‘sport and recreation’ with ‘community and belonging’ in our family,” Tesone told the ABC.<\/p>\n
“Especially water-based activities \u2014 they’re one of Jordy’s favourites. Being underwater, weightless, in his own world.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jordy Tesone loves the beach, but it isn’t always easy for him to access it. (Supplied: Liz Tesone)<\/p>\n
Beach trips can be hard for Tesone’s family, in part because Jordy is weather-sensitive and chooses not to go outside if it’s raining or too hot.<\/p>\n
And with the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecasting hotter than average temperatures and increased bushfire risks this summer, their beach days have already begun to dwindle.<\/p>\n
“We turn to accessible swim programs at rec centres instead, but a lot of the time they’re designed for people with physical disabilities, not those with complex intellectual disabilities and their families and carers,” Tesone said.<\/p>\n
This is just one way that the impacts of the climate crisis can disproportionately affect people with disability.<\/p>\n
As Australia experiences greater climate change over the coming years \u2014 from bushfires and decreasing air quality to flooding and erosion \u2014 it will get harder for disabled people to access nature and recreation activities.<\/p>\n
Coastal erosion impacting beach access<\/p>\n
The Victorian coastal town of Inverloch is on the frontline of the climate crisis. (Getty Images: Quincy Lee)<\/p>\n
In the seaside town of Inverloch on Bunurong country, 150 kilometres south-east of Naarm (Melbourne), a popular getaway spot for hiking, beaches, and dinosaur tours, the town is one of the frontline communities in Australia facing the climate crisis head-on.<\/p>\n
“Climate impacts are definitely affecting our family’s access to natural spaces,” Tesone said.<\/p>\n
“We holiday in Inverloch, and a few years ago, some big storms came through, and there was a massive erosion event.<\/p>\n
“We couldn’t access the beach at all until they’d reworked the two-metre erosion drop off.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Work to combat erosion at Inverloch has been delayed. (ABC Gippsland: Danielle Kutchel)<\/p>\n
Storm surges and erosion have been major issues at Inverloch for years, with community groups like Friends of the Earth’s Act on Climate and the Bass Coast Climate Action Network advocating with the state government for swift and comprehensive action.<\/p>\n
After $3.3 million of funding was granted in 2022, some sandbags have been installed underneath the Inverloch Surf Lifesaving Club and along the beach, but further works have been delayed<\/a>.<\/p>\n While the government is sitting on the majority of the funding allocated to combat erosion at Inverloch, the grant application for those funds identified that the economic impact of permanent erosion in the area has an estimated price tag of between $2 million and $80 million annually in lost tourism revenue alone.<\/p>\n These numbers do not consider other realms of economic detriment (to homes and infrastructure), or the human cost of decreased access to nature for disabled people and others with access needs.<\/p>\n A growing demographic<\/p>\n The CSIRO reported<\/a> in 2024 that climate catastrophes like flooding, extreme heat, and storm surges will further intensify “proportional to the rate of global warming”.<\/p>\n