Visual Summaries

These visual summaries give an overview of our research into how different social groups in the UK are affected by climate change, nature loss, and related government policy.

For each group, there are two visual summaries: one of the negative impacts of environmental crises and one of what a fairer future can look like if people are included in policymaking.

For more detail and background on all of these findings, read the full briefings.

Jump to a social group: Disabled people / People from ethnic minority communities / Older people / Young people

Disabled People

This cartoon image illustrates individual impacts of climate change and nature loss on disabled people. It shows a variety of scenes with a cityscape in the background. The sun beats down on a tower block that is labelled ‘lack of accessible housing’. A woman wearing a purple top saying ‘Extreme heat can worsen health issues” fanning herself is . Some medication being thrown into a bin is labelled ‘some medications don’t work in heat or reduce ability to sweat’. A cloud of pollution coming from a chimney is labelled ‘cardiovascular and respiratory issues increase risk from pollution, extreme weather, and changing patterns of disease’, next to a drawing of healthy lungs. A black cloud with lightning is labelled ‘Lack of accessible risk communications and crisis support’. A silhouette of the Houses of Parliament is labelled ‘environmental policies can worsen or remove barriers for people’ A wheelchair user is thinking ‘Disabled people are often not considered in government emergency planning’ He is saying “Disabled people can find it harder to regulate body temperature” A boy wearing a yellow t-shire and purple trousers with a mobility cane near some bollards is saying ‘There are barriers in place that prevent Disabled peoples’ independence’. The bollards are labelled ‘Decline in quality and quantity of green spaces’. A woman inside a house with heavy rain outside is saying ‘Moving from flood-prone homes prevented by lack of adapted housing’ A woman wearing a orange top and pink trousers pulls out her empty pockets is next to a label saying ‘Many Disabled people cannot afford the financial costs that can come from environmental events’. Vertically through the image there is the phrase ‘For policy to work, it has to work for everyone’.

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This cartoon image illustrates the positive outcomes for Disabled people that are possible if they are involved in developing environmental policy. It is titled ‘A fairer, healthier, more sustainable future for all Disabled people’ A white dove carries a yellow banner that says ‘Disabled people empowered to be part of the solutions shaping the future’. An orange and blue kingfisher bird carries a banner that says ‘Happy, healthy homes’. A smiling bee flies away from a beehive in a tree. A blue train is a labelled ‘A transport system that allows independence’. Four houses are shown in front of a background of colourful flowers and fruit trees behind which is a silhouette of a city scape. Two of the houses are labelled ‘net zero’ and ‘accessibility as standard’. In front of the houses, a woman with a prosthetic leg and wearing yellow top, red skirt and beret stands next to a sign that says ‘Disabled people have their choice of where to live’. A red bus is being flagged by a wheelchair user at a bus stop. He is smartly dressed wearing a grey shirt and black tie and trousers The bus is labelled ‘accessible public transport’ and the bus stop sign says ‘net zero transport’. An old man smiling and walking with a cane is saying ‘improved mental and physical health (especially cardiovascular and respiratory)’. A wheelchair user is gardening, he is wearing gardening gloves and watering plants next to a pond. He is saying ‘Together we can improve lives and the environment, and all be part of the solution.’ A sign next to the pond says ‘Accessible green and blue spaces that improve health and reduce loneliness’. A purple butterfly flies next to the sign. Two construction workers wearing hi-vis jackets and hard hats are holding and looking at a set of plans. The construction worker on the left is smiling and holding a pen to his mouth. The construction worker on the right is an amputee who is smiling and wearing sunglasses. A woman wearing a hijab and pink clothes who is a wheelchair user is saying ‘Reliable information about condition of green spaces, supported programmes’. A man wearing a orange jacket black trousers with dark glasses is walking with his guide dog.

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Read the full briefing on How will the climate and nature crises impact older people and Disabled people?

Ethnic Minority Communities

This cartoon image illustrates individual impacts of climate change and nature loss on people from ethnic minorities. It shows a variety of scenes with a cityscape in the background. A river is labelled ‘more likely to live in areas of flood risk’. A hospital is flying a flag that says ‘more likely to be admitted to hospital for treatment in relation to air pollution’. Behind the hospital, smoke rises from a chimney. The smoke is labelled ‘air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to human health’. Next to the cloud are small illustrations of lungs, a heart, cells, and a blood test. In front of the hospital there are four caravans. A sign next to the caravans with the danger symbol says ‘Traveller sites in polluted and flood prone areas where others are not expected to live. Cars drive on a road next to two areas of grass. One area of grass is labelled ‘poor quality and quantity of urban green spaces’. The other has a sign that says ‘Barriers to time in green spaces include lack of proximity, financial barriers, cultural barriers, and experiences of racism’. A dark storm cloud with lightning is labelled ‘impacted due to experiences of systemic racism’. A man with a cane is saying ‘more likely to experience fuel poverty’. Two orange cars are driving down a road and emitting pollution. One is labelled ‘more likely to live in areas of high air pollution’ and the other ‘more asthma, cancers, cardiovascular disease and diabetes’. There are three grey high-rise tower blocks. The sun shines on them. The sun is labelled ‘Urban areas can be 10 degrees hotter in heatwaves’. The first tower block has an orange banner on it that says ‘more likely to live in urban areas, rented housing, and over-crowding’. The third tower block has a yellow banner that says ‘more likely to live in poorly adapted housing’. A woman uses a purple fan to cool herself. She is thinking ‘cost of cooling homes in summer’. A wheelchair user wearing a hijab is labelled ‘health impact of damp housing’.

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This cartoon image illustrates the positive outcomes for people from ethnic minority communities that are possible if they are involved in developing environmental policy. It is titled ‘A fairer, healthier, more sustainable future for people from ethnic minority communities’. It shows a range of scenes with a cityscape in background. A hospital flies a yellow flag labelled ‘improvements to health and reduction in health inequalities’. Above a row of colourful houses, a bird carries a banner that says ‘happy, healthy homes’. Two of the houses are labelled ‘net zero’ and ‘retrofitted to reduce energy costs’. There is a sign in front of the houses labelled ‘ensure accessible routes into new green jobs/skills’. In front of the houses is a road lined with bright flowers. On the road, a man wearing a blue shirt and an orange turban is riding a bicycle, a woman in a white top is walking, and a man wearing an orange jacket and dark glasses is walking with his guide dog. A wheelchair user is using a litter picker to put some rubbish into a bin bag held open by a man in an orange jacket. A woman helps a boy plant two plants in the soil, with both wearing gardening gloves. A man in a yellow sun hat is potting a flower. Between them there is a sign that says ‘empowered communities taking action’. Three children play on a swing set. In front of them a sign says ‘Together, we can improve live and the environment, and all be part of the solution.’ Three children play a game of football, with one preparing to shoot the ball at the goalkeeper in goal. A man with a beard is holding up a baby’s hands to help them walk. A wheelchair user is smiling. Between them, a sign says ‘equal, safe and joyful access to green space’.

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Read the full briefing on How will the climate and nature crises impact people from ethnic minority communities?

Older People

This cartoon image illustrates individual impacts of climate change and nature loss on older people. It shows a variety of scenes with a cityscape in the background. A sun beats down on an older woman with white hair and glasses who is steadying herself on a bus stop sign. The sun is labelled ‘Ageing population: 18.6% of the population in England and Wales are over 65 and growing’. The woman is thinking ‘Health issues exacerbated by changing climate and patterns of diseases’. She is saying ‘Dehydration, fainting and falls’. The bus stop sign says ‘collapse of infrastructure’. Below the woman are two gravestones. One gravestone is labelled ‘’heatwaves increase excess death rates for over 65s’. The other gravestone is labelled ‘In 2022, 75% of excess deaths in heatwaves were over 70’. A car is driving down a road, emitting a cloud of pollution. An industrial chimney is sending a cloud of smoke into the sky. The cloud is labelled ‘Higher risk of mortality if admitted to hospital on days of high air pollution.’ A man in a purple shirt with a grey beard, glasses and baseball cap is holding up a protest sign. His shirt is says ‘Frustrated activist’ and his sign reads ‘Older people care about climate change and nature loss’. A dark storm cloud with lightning bolts looms over a hospital building. The cloud is labelled ‘Biggest issue is health impacts’. Above the hospital, text reads ‘Environmental impact disrupts medical appointments, access to medication, etc’.

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This cartoon image illustrates the positive outcomes for old people that are possible if they are involved in developing environmental policy. It is titled ‘A fairer, healthier, more sustainable future for all Disabled people’. It shows a range of scenes with a cityscape in background. A row of colourful houses with a sign in front of them that says ‘happy, healthy homes’. A house with a purple roof is labelled ‘net zero’. A house with an orange roof is label ‘well insulated’. At the end of the street is a hospital. It is flying a flag sayins ‘reliable support when needed.’ A man wearing a blue shirt and an orange turban is riding a bicycle down the street. He is saying ‘More independence for longer’. On a parallel street, a red bus is labelled ‘continuity of services’. In front of the two streets is a park with a pond. Bees and butterflies fly around the park. In the park, two people are walking and smiling with walking poles. One says ‘longer, healthier, more active lives’. There is an area of green plants with a fence running through it. An older man in a red jacket is using an electric screwdriver to attach a sign to the fence, with a younger man in a purple shirt assisting him by holding the sign in place. The sign reads ‘community connection with peers and other generations’. Two signs in the park read ‘Together, we can improve lives and the environment, and all be part of the solution’ and ‘Increased time in green spaces’. Four people sit on a bench in front of the pond: a woman in a blue hijab holding a black and white dog on a lead is talking to a man in an orange shirt, and a woman with white hair in a pink jacket is talking to a woman with grey hair and yellow top holding a walking stick. They are saying ‘older people continue to care about the environment’ and ‘older people share how they are adapting’.

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Read the full briefing on How will the climate and nature crises impact older people and Disabled people?

Young People

This cartoon image illustrates individual impacts of climate change and nature loss on young people. It shows a variety of scenes with a cityscape in the background. A wildfire is burning in a forest. The fire is labelled ‘children born in 2020 will face twice as many wildfires and 6.8 times as many heatwaves’. A hot air ballon floats in the sky. It is labelled ‘we need to raise up the voices of the groups most affected’. A dark storm cloud with lightning is labelled ‘increased risk of illness e.g. lyme disease, cancer, asthma, and mental ill-health’, next to illustrations of lungs, a brain, and a baby in the womb. A brightly shining sun is labelled ‘young people will live their lives in a poorer climate’. A bus is stopped in the road, because the road is blocked due to flooding. This is labelled ‘education and development can be negatively impacted’, next to an illustration of a schoolbook and diploma. A young person holds up a protest sign which says ‘education not giving young people the skills and knowledge for a changing environment’. Someone reaches their hands out from outside the picture. They have a few coins in each hand. They are saying ‘the worst impacts are on low-income families’. Three cars are diving on a road and emitting pollution. The pollution is labelled ‘more vulnerable to pollution’. A child sits in a concrete space, she is frowning and thinking ‘lack of green space for play’. A child sits crying next to a river and is thinking ‘developing bodies and minds highly vulnerable’. A sewage pipe is pumping waste into the river. Some dying plants are in the ground next to some pound coins. This is labelled ‘more food insecurity and prices rise’.

Download this image as a pdf

This cartoon image illustrates the positive outcomes for young people that are possible if they are involved in developing environmental policy. It is titled ‘A fairer, healthier, more sustainable future for all young people’. It shows a range of scenes with a cityscape in background. Bees and butterflies fly in a park. A woman is walking in the park and saying ‘nourished, active children and young people’. A young man in a shirt and tie is speaking at a lectern with a microphone. He is saying ‘improved mental and physical health’ and the lectern says ‘young people with a voice’. A family share a picnic on the grass in the park. One parents says ‘children are safer and better protected’. A young woman rides her bicycle in the park, with a backpack and water bottle in the basket. She is saying ‘young people feel confident about their future with better mental health’. A young woman in the park is holding a watering can and wearing gardening boots. She is saying ‘eco anxiety is tackled through practical action’. A bus stop has a sign for an electric bus, and a sign that says ‘sustainable and affordable public transport’. A house is labelled ‘children and young people living in decent homes’. In front of the house there are a row of bright flowers. A woman wearing a suit and a hijab shakes the hand of a child. The woman is saying ‘young people connected to policy makers’. A young man wearing a hi-vis jacket and holding a construction helmet is saying ‘green jobs and training more visible and accessible’. Behind him, a young woman is holding a plank of wood and wearing a construction helmet. She is saying ‘thriving economy with improved life chances for all’. A bird flying in the air carries a sign that says ‘reduced air pollution’. Four wind turbines are labelled ‘renewable industries could create 1.6 million jobs in UK’.

Download this image as a pdf

Read the full briefing on How will the climate and nature crises impact young people?

 

Jump to a social group: Disabled people / People from ethnic minority communities / Older people / Young people

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