The evidence clearly demonstrates that older adults are more vulnerable to climate change; they are more susceptible to heat-related illness, more likely to develop other chronic conditions related to prolonged exposures to high temperatures, and are more likely to have difficulty moving to safety during extreme weather events.
There is a myriad of factors that contribute to older adults’ vulnerability to climate change, but one is often overlooked: housing. In fact, older adult’s residential setting has a tremendous impact on how they are affected by and can adapt to climate change, explained Jennifer Molinsky, Director of the Housing and Aging Society Program at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
“Population aging and climate change are two of the biggest issues of our time,” Molinsky said. “From our work on aging and housing, we know how important housing is to older adults’ financial security, health, safety, and independence. Housing is also increasingly a site of long-term delivery of care and services. At the same time, older adults are more vulnerable to many of the effects of climate change, from rising temperatures to dislocation during an extreme event. We see where people live—their residential setting of home, neighborhood, and subregion—as critical in moderating the effects of climate change for a population that is often the most vulnerable.”
Molinsky, along with Harvard Urban Planning Professor Ann Forsyth, published a narrative review that details what we know about how residential settings affect older adults’ ability to cope with and adapt to climate change. Combining the evidence from more than 100 studies across the subjects of climate change, health, environment, and aging to paint a picture of how housing plays a role in the larger issue of environmental crisis and our aging population.
The paper begins by outlining the three main factors contribute to this vulnerability. First, what is the person’s exposure to climate related dangers such as extreme heat, severe weather events, or lack of access to safe water? Next, what is the individual’s sensitivity to these dangers? And, third, how are they able to adapt to climate change? The article considers all of these questions through the lens of residential setting, which the authors conceptualize as location on the rural/urban spectrum, the neighborhood, and the house.
For example, an important factor to consider is whether someone lives in a more rural or urban setting. In terms of health, aging, and climate change, there are challenges to both, Molinsky explained.
Rural settings tend to offer fewer public services, such as transportation and health care services. While urban settings tend to offer more options for these, they have their own challenges, including exposure to severe flooding and higher temperatures exacerbated by development patterns.
Neighborhoods are another important factor that influence how older adults experience and adapt to climate change. Those living in urban heat islands face greater risk during heatwaves, for example.
Finally, the physical structure that an older person lives in can affect their ability to cope with climate change. Is the home damp and vulnerable to mold? Does it have window covering and air conditioning to keep its occupants cool when temperatures rise? “The capacity of the physical house to protect occupants from increasing risks brought by climate change is important,” she said.
Setting affects older adults before, during, and after extreme events, Molinsky said, shaping the extent to which they are exposed to a climate stressor, their sensitivity to it, and their capacity to recover and adapt. Exposure to risk is moderated by neighborhood—those in flood plains or heat islands will be more vulnerable to extreme weather and heat. Residential location can shape sensitivity as well: for example, someone living in an area with limited access to healthcare and supportive services maybe more likely to have chronic health issues that will make them more sensitive to a particular event.
Then, in the midst of an extreme event, the residential setting might be protective or not: a home with poorly sealed windows might allow wildfire smoke indoors, or a home without air conditioning may become too hot, aggravating a respiratory condition. A neighborhood without a cooling shelter will provide little ability to escape the heat, or one characterized by high-rise buildings can become isolating for older adults stranded on high floors during extended periods of power outages.
Although these are important considerations, there is a lot more urban planners and public health officials needs to understand about how housing affects older adults’ experience of climate change.
“Our hope is that researchers and policymakers working on climate change recognize how older adults’ unique vulnerabilities to climate change moderated by where they live—not just the region but down to the level of the home—and that there are already deep inequities in these settings that can put older people of color, those with low incomes, and renters at particular risk,” Molinsky said.
Many older adults already face housing challenges, she said. Housing affordability challenges are more common among older adults. “Incomes fall for many households in later years, making it difficult to keep up with rising utilities, taxes, insurance, or rent,” she said.
Finally, accessibility can be a major problem. “The physical house is critical for supporting independence—a home that is inaccessible to a person with a mobility challenge can be seen as ‘disabling’ in that the individual might need assistance with tasks of daily life that they would be able to perform independently in a home that is accessible,” Molinsky explained.
In addition to these challenges, Molinsky wants house experts to take climate change into consideration. “We also want to ensure that those working on housing and aging are mindful of how climate change is changing our priorities around what we consider suitable housing and supports for an aging population.”