In several latitudes of the world the effects of climate change are connected to the global ageing process and mental health. The environmental changes of recent decades have become urgent challenges for survival. One of them is to care for the well-being of the most vulnerable people: the elderly.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) points out that the effects of climate change are the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century. Health is and will be affected through the direct impact of heat waves, droughts, severe storms and rising sea levels. As well as indirect effects such as respiratory diseases. Including through lack of food security, access to water, malnutrition and forced migration.
How many people over the age of 60 will there be in the world by 2050?
PAHO says the world’s population is ageing at an unprecedented rate. It projects that the population over 60 will double by the middle of the 21st century to almost 2.1 billion by 2050. Thus by 2050, 21% of the world’s population will be over 60.
Which areas of the world will be most affected?
Although the impact is global and imminent, several scientific studies such as those available in Nature Communication determine that climate change will be the predominant problem in the more temperate nations of Europe and North America. In addition, population ageing will be a determining factor in the warmer countries of Africa, Asia and South America. Africa is also the region where overall population growth will have the greatest impact.
What risks are older adults exposed to as a result of climate change?
As a consequence of global warming, heat waves can have serious effects on this population. These can include: high body temperatures, dizziness, nausea, headaches, dehydration, fatigue, exhaustion, low blood pressure, fainting. These effects, coupled with pre-existing chronic or congenital diseases, can aggravate the health status of this at-risk population.
How does climate change affect mental health?
The Wellcome Foundation states that extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and floods, can cause psychological distress and trauma. Rising temperatures lead to higher rates of anxiety and depression. Thus there are new terms to describe some of the effects of climate change on mental health, such as climate anxiety, ecological pain and solastalgia. What happens in a global environmental crisis such as the current one is that in addition to the physical dangers, a latent problem lurks for older and displaced adults: a dangerous epidemic of loneliness.
Social innovation and initiatives for older people
There are several initiatives to improve the well-being of older adults in the context of climate change. In Argentina, the Buenos Aires authorities created the Programme for Adaptation to Extreme Weather Events (Programa de adaptación frente a eventos climáticos extremos). They promote community strengthening to be attentive to the effects of heat waves; they implement technology to strengthen communication between people living in a community; lastly, they train children and adults so that everyone knows the right information to avoid exposure to high temperatures. Also to detect symptoms and to stay hydrated at all times.
The global network Land Body Ecologies (LBE) explores solastalgia. This is the mental distress caused specifically by environmental change. It is dedicated to connecting indigenous communities who are at the forefront of the current environmental crisis. With collaborators in human rights, medicine, psychology, arts and ecology from Finland, India, Kenya, Thailand, Uganda and the UK. To analyse the deep interconnections between mental health and ecosystems.
In Spain, the social innovation initiative Auzosare manages unwanted loneliness in the Basque Country. Using technology and Big Data, they identify people over the age of 65 who live alone. In this way, they detect situations of social isolation, in order to connect with municipal community support services.
Natural and easy-to-implement keys
Wellcome suggests that increasing access to green space can have positive impacts on mental health. Research funded by Wellcome has shown that being in a green space such as a forest or park, for just 15 minutes, can immediately and momentarily improve mood and also reduce feelings of anxiety. Community empowerment can be added to this. Informed communities that keep an eye on older adults can contribute to their survival.
You may be interested in: Is it possible to stop global warming?
