Elderly losing out to climate change talk

The elderly seem to be going out of fashion in the climate change narrative. Their needs are very specific because they are weaker, with more ailments, with less money and social networks.

In Europe, intense heats kills the elderly first. During floods, the elderly are unable to evacuate with ease, and disease hits them the hardest. According to the National Statistical Office ‘s 2021 report on the elderly, India can expect a 41% increase in the population of those above 60 in a decade, by 2031. How can we increase their resilience to climate change?

The elderly find it hard to understand new risks. They must be specifically informed. Our infrastructure for the elderly must be ramped up so those with modest means and poor literacy can still be warned on time, learn about possible health symptoms, get access to warm or cooled spaces, as the need may be and above all, understand how to spend their limited resources. They aren’t victims. The elderly have much to contribute to systems of adaptation and response, with their long experience. They should be part of both local and state-wide planning, for themselves at least.

None of this can happen if the social infrastructure for all elderly citizens-not just the poor-isn’t put into place rapidly, on Mission Mode. As of today, more and more of them depend on random kindness, not system support. They are more vulnerable than we realize, but smart action can mitigate that. Climate justice means we don’t leave out a less productive population.