As we start to see the effects of climate change more prominently, Age Cymru reflect on why they have greater impact on older people, and what we could do to help.
Wales is getting older. Recent statistics show that 28.2% of the population is aged 60+, a figure that is due to rise to 30% by 2026 and 31% by 2031. This rapid pace of ageing reflects global trends: according to the World Health Organisation, the global population aged over 60 will more than double between 2020 and 2050, rising from 1 billion to 2.1 billion.
At the same time, the planet itself is becoming less age-friendly. Climate change is causing temperatures to rise in Wales, as elsewhere, with the average set to increase by at least 1.2°C by the 2050s and up to 2.3°C by the 2080s (from a 1981-2000 baseline). Warmer temperatures are bringing hotter, drier summers and wetter winters, alongside increasingly regular extreme weather events, like storms and droughts.
All of these pose a direct risk to older adults in Wales, endangering their ability to age in good health and security. Compared to their younger peers, older people are more likely to be affected by long-term physical and mental health conditions and disabilities. They are also more reliant on (easily disrupted) public services, and are more likely to live alone or in isolated areas.
Despite these heightened risks, climate change is rarely discussed alongside ageing, even after the Covid-19 pandemic gave the physical and mental health of older people a more prominent position in the public eye.
Despite these heightened risks, climate change is rarely discussed alongside ageing, even after the Covid-19 pandemic gave the physical and mental health of older people a more prominent position in the public eye. Conversations around climate change, instead, tend to remain faceless, focusing on facts and figures or technical fixes, from electric cars to carbon capture. The impacts of climate change on people – let alone older people – rarely receive a mention.
Nonetheless, the two trajectories of an ageing population and a warmer climate are already beginning to clash. In advance of the upcoming launch of Age Cymru’s first ever policy statement on climate change, this article asks two questions: what are the risks posed by climate change to healthy ageing in Wales? And what can the Welsh Government, public bodies, civil society and older people themselves do to mitigate them?
Impacts of climate change on an older population
It is hotter weather itself that poses the most immediate danger to older people in Wales. 2022 and 2023 marked the hottest two years on record for the UK, with Wales experiencing its highest ever recorded temperature (37.1°C) in July 2022. The optimal temperature range for human health is between 8°C and 20°C, meaning that long periods of exposure to temperatures below or above this range can impact on physical health. This is especially true for older people, as ageing can weaken the body’s ability to regulate its internal temperature. As such, hotter weather brings a direct health risk, whether in the form of heat stroke or by exacerbating existing conditions, such as cardiovascular and kidney problems. Because of this, the Centre for Ageing Better now predicts that the number of heat-related deaths among people aged 65+ will triple over the next 30 years.
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Extreme heat also poses a risk to those living in poorly insulated homes, notably older houses, blocks of flats and mobile homes. According to the Climate Change Committee, around 55% of existing homes in the UK would currently fail the ‘bedroom overheating test,’ meaning that the average nighttime temperature exceeds 26°C in the summer. Beyond this point, it becomes harder for people to sleep, increasing the likelihood of poor physical and mental health. Conversely, poor insulation also creates greater risk of mould and damp in winter, plus the need to spend more money on heating.
While steps are being taken at both government and individual level to improve the quality of Welsh housing, the fact remains that the energy efficiency of most homes in Wales is below standard, with less than 1% of homes owned by people aged 60+ having an EPC rating of A. (This is hardly surprising – the ONS reports that 23% of Wales’s housing stock was built before 1919.) There is therefore still a long way to go before housing in Wales can reach a standard that will keep older people safe and well as the climate continues to warm.
Hotter temperatures also lead to extreme weather events. Recent years have seen a growing number of storms hit Wales, causing significant damage to infrastructure and property, and sometimes endangering lives. With storms comes flooding – 273,000 Welsh properties are currently at risk of flooding – and the possibility of landslides, as in the case of the Tylorstown coal tip landslide in February 2020 following Storm Dennis.
At the same time, it’s important to remember that older people are among the most passionate campaigners for climate action and may, if given the chance, be enthusiastic and experienced participants in projects aimed at building community climate resilience.
Likewise, extreme weather poses a risk to food supplies, with droughts and flooding (both locally and globally) leading to lower crop yields and higher prices. Both factors impact not only upon the health of individuals, but also could particularly affect older people who may have less disposable income.
Furthermore, scientists warn that a wetter, warmer climate creates more favourable conditions for the spread of new vector-borne diseases, such as Zika virus and West Nile virus, as well as the greater proliferation of native diseases such as Lyme disease. Again, while these pose a risk to people of all ages, the risk is heightened for older people, who tend to have greater health and care needs.
Responding to the threat
Despite the dangers presented by climate change, there are multiple actions we can take both to protect older people and to include them in building climate resilience in our communities.
For a start, Wales urgently needs greater public investment in measures that will actively help people to resist the harmful effects of climate change. These include expanding housing retrofit programmes, redesigning public spaces to be more heat-resistant (e.g. creating more shaded areas) and building more effective defences against extreme weather.
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Such measures must be undertaken with the meaningful input of older people. For example, public transport plays an important role in building community resilience to the impacts of climate change, helping people access vital services and reducing individual reliance on increasingly expensive fossil fuels (as well as playing a role in hitting net zero targets). Despite this, Age Cymru regularly receives feedback from older people regarding the inaccessibility of public transport, with complaints ranging from the lack of toilets at train stations to the inadequate coverage of bus services. Any attempt to redesign existing services must therefore involve older people in the design process, ensuring that their needs are met.
At the same time, it’s important to remember that older people are among the most passionate campaigners for climate action and may, if given the chance, be enthusiastic and experienced participants in projects aimed at building community climate resilience. Age Cymru believes that the Welsh Government and local authorities should be creating greater opportunities for older people to get involved in building resilience on a local level. This might include developing community allotments (such as Railway Gardens in Cardiff), organising community transport links or setting up community resilience groups to develop grassroots resilience plans to counter disruption caused by extreme weather.
The intersection of an ageing population and a rapidly warming climate poses many challenges for Wales. We are already seeing societal disruption from climate change, and this is only set to increase. Yet there remains much that can be done, both to protect the older people of Wales and to include them in efforts to resist the worst effects of climate breakdown. The climate may be becoming less age-friendly, but older people will be valuable partners in building climate resilience over the coming decades.
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