I wouldn’t have believed this if I hadn’t read it for myself. This is an actual study and press release from the University of York. I’m surprised they didn’t issue this press release IN ALL UPPER CASE. Those darn whippersnappers.
New rules of engagement for older people and climate change
A new study by researchers in the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) at the University of York calls for better engagement of older people on climate change issues.
The report, prepared in partnership with the Community Service Volunteers’ Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme (RSVP), urges the scrapping of stereotypes which suggest that older people are incapable of engagement, passive or disinterested in climate change.
Instead, the research team recommends new approaches to engage older people, which promote direct interaction and the use of trusted agents that are sensitive to the personal circumstances older people face. The report sets out a ten-point plan to engage older people more effectively on climate change issues and greener living.
Recent evidence from the older age sector highlight the inadequacies of current methods of information provision and community engagement on climate change
The report claims that a combination of climate change and an ageing population will have wide ranging socio-economic and environmental impacts. It acknowledges that older people may be physically, financially and emotionally less able to cope with the effects of climate-related weather events.
Lead author Dr Gary Haq, a human ecologist at SEI, said: “The engagement and participation of older people in climate change issues are important as older people can be seen as potential contributors to, and casualties of, climate change as well as potential campaigners to tackle the problem.”
‘Baby boomers’ (aged 50-64) currently have the highest carbon footprint in the UK compared with other age groups. They represent the first generation of the consumer society entering old age. As they will move to older groups they will replace low carbon footprint habits and values with relatively high consumption.
Dr Haq said: “Recent evidence from the older age sector highlight the inadequacies of current methods of information provision and community engagement on climate change. It is critical to implementing policies to tackle climate change and to address the needs of an ageing population.”
Dave Brown, co-author and member of RSVP, said: “While older people are concerned about climate change, they do not feel they will be directly affected. Nor do they feel they can personally take action to stop it. The older generation represent a missing voice and a missed opportunity.”
Notes to editors:
- The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) is a global science policy research institute headquartered in Stockholm and with its UK office based in the Environment Department at the University of York. Its mission is to bridge the gap between science and policy to achieve change for a sustainable future.
- More about the University of York’s Environment Department can be found on www.york.ac.uk/environment/
- According to the Government’s Actuary Department, by 2050 people aged over 50 will represent 30 per cent of the UK population compared to 2006.
- SEI’s updated calculations show that baby boomers (aged 50-64) have one of the highest carbon footprints (13.5 tonnes/CO2) in the UK compared other age groups Seniors (aged 65-70) have a carbon footprint of 12. 5 tonnes/CO2 while Elders (aged 70+) have a footprint of equal to the UK average of 12 tonnes.
- As the ‘baby boomers’ move into the older groups they will replace low carbon footprint habits and values with relatively high consumption habits. This “replacement effect” is crucially important and identifies the need for a much clearer targeted effort on climate change and consumption aimed at this demographic group.
- The ten-point plan for engagement of older people in climate change issues:
-
- Abandon old stereotypes
- Get to know your target audience
- Use trusted brands
- Use peer to peer communication
- Use positive messages
- Use the right “frames”
- Show real life examples
- Develop an inclusive dialogue
- Maximise participation
- Ensure the setting is right for change
- The full report can be found on the SEI web site: www.sei-international.org
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Are they going to talk loudly to them and distribute flyers in 18 point type?
I don’t beleeeeve it!
Well… Speaking as an “old codger” with a Doctorate in Physics I’m damned if I’ll let myself be patronised by that shower of wa[snip]rs!
It’s known as ‘frightening the vulnerable’.
Get them on side via a good dose of fearmongering and that’s another section of the public to manipulate in support of the struggle for power.
I don’t usually get political but it’s straight out of the Marxist Handbook.
Well – as an ‘old codger’ (67 going on 27) – I feel thoroughly chastised that I am not toeing the party line on climate change. I must make amends.
On second thoughts – the Stockholm Institute can stuff their ‘message’ where the sun don’t shine…
This quote is spot on, “It acknowledges that older people may be physically, financially and emotionally less able to cope with the effects of climate-related weather events.” I wonder how many old people on fixed incomes had heart attacks when they saw their energy bills had increased to pay for renewable energy during a cold winter.
Older people are not concerned with climate change. They laugh at young plebs who believe it is a problem.
Pensioners
Insist
Silly
Scientists
Offload
Foolish
Findings
I’m a baby boomer by that definition. I’m an AGW sceptic but I recycle so much that my non-recyclable waste bin usually only goes out fortnightly despite our council having weekly collections. I grow my own beans and tomatoes and am a member of Freecycle. I also use my bus pass for local journeys. I’m looking into feedback tariffs for electricity (I disapprove of the green “taxes” paying for it but by buying in to the scam I should be able to mitigate the effect on my household). I do, however, fly to Majorca twice or three times a year so that probably condemns me in the eyes of the righteous watermelons. How much were they paid to produce that report and who paid for it?
Religious enthusiasm tends to be a young persons’ disorder.
This is beyond condesending to the elderly. The authors should be ashamed of themselves. Perhaps the authors feel oldsters are all senile and unable to think for themselves. PERHAPS someone should tell the authors whose toil built their generation.
Sincerely… younger, not necessarily wiser, Jeff
Only inexperienced youngsters, fooled by post normal science professors, among them not our grandchildren, will more probably believe their lies.
Anyway, the third world will surely have to save those suffering such an strange mental disorder affecting the morally declining first world.
What these twits do not realise is that before they know what happened they will be old codgers themselves. See how you like it then. It comes faster than you think, life is short.
This study raises so many questions.
If these wasteful seniors were left on ice floes to die at a certain age how much would that help, or would it merely promote the quicker loss of precious sea ice?
Do people looking for research topics and grants to finance them have no shame?
Who finances this junk?
Has this paper been considered for publication by the Journal of Irreproducible Results?
Isn’t this just an example of the mischief that arises when you swallow a wholly unbelievable premise (CAGW) ?
Is there a difference between a senior’s carbon footprint and his carbon wheelchair track?
Could I have a grant to study these questions to build up my publication credentials?
Speaking of publication credentials, did anyone ever find out yet what number Mann used in his nomination of Phil Jones?
If not, why not?
Hmph…….
These patronizing little twits want to engage with me? I’ll engage ’em with a couple significant digits — one on my right hand and one on the left. You know — the ones that are always getting pixelated on broadcast TV.
There is a saying which reads as follows:
The devil knows more for being older than for being a devil
So we know who you are droggies!
Perhaps the new engagement plan includes how to explain to seniors why all of their energy costs (heating, lighting, transportation, etc.) are eating away at more and more of their limited income and life savings? And why they have to throw out all of their perfectly function lighting fixtures and replace them with expensive fluorescent lights? And how all of the new “eco” taxes and fees are critical, even if it means that seniors will no longer be able to afford to keep the homes they have lived in for decades? Oh wait, I get it: Force them out of their big “footprint” family homes and into small footprint, high-density old-age facilities where their “needs” will be met, within an environmentally sensitive framework, of course.
Can the world get any barmier? How many more of these insane articles are we going to see?
Must admit, when I saw ‘Stockholm’, my first thought was ‘Stockholm syndrome’ and they were going to kidnap all us old codgers and keep us captive until will fell in love with all their eco-claptrap.
And what about that 10 point plan; a series of pointless points; for instance, what ‘real life examples’ do they have in mind; I’d love to see some, actually.
And just what is a ‘social ecologist’?
Perhaps Saga ( for our colonial friends – a 50yr old + only holiday firm in the UK that arranges holidays/vacations) can start up a line of poley bear camp-out holidays for the baby boomers to stop them spending their offspring’s inheritances.
As an Old Codger, I find this laughable, especially “Use peer to peer communication.” Most of my conversations with my peers go like this:
“Watcha say?”
“What?”
“If I had a nickel for ever what!”
“What?”
Well I think that I qualify as one of those older people.
I’m not a biologist; but I have watched those wildlife movies where a younger, up and coming male lion, comes into a pride of lions, and challenges the worn out old geezer, and either kills him, or drives him off to perhaps an even worse fate. All the lionesses in the pride, of course have no interest in romance, since they all have young cubs to raise.
Not for long ! As soon as the new master disposes of his rival, he hunts down, and methodically kills all of the cubs in the pride; all of which carry the genes of the recently departed or defunct old geezer; then he chases out as many of the male juveniles as he can so his new harem doesn’t have to feed them too.
No sooner are the cubs slaughtered, and the ladies suddenly want to play with the new stud, who hopes that it will be his genes that pass on to the next generation.
Humans aren’t quite that ruthless; well maybe the men aren’t; the women might be; they have even more invested in their children; and they can get downright mean, if their little rug rats are threatened; and eventually it is the grand rugrats, that occupy their attention.
Now you want to ‘splain that again, where the old geezers don’t really give a hoot about the climate, since it isn’t going to affect them.
We invest more in our coming generations, than any other species; well not discounting salmon and the like, which give their all.
And we hope that we are able to launch the kids into a better world than we inherited; with better lives and opportunities.
So forget this dungbeetle food about us geezers not giving a hoot; we’ve given more hoot to this subject than anybody else.
But nobody is ladling out grant money to write papers about our concerns and efforts.
“The Ten-Point Plan for Engagement of Older People in Climate Change Issues:
1. Abandon old stereotypes: Think as slow as they do!
2. Get to know your target audience: Live as they do!
3. Use trusted brands: The old inexpensive kind no one else buys!
4. Use peer to peer communication: Get a younger one to interpret for you!
5. Use positive messages: Tell them their Rx and Utility bills will decrease!
6. Use the right “frames”: Walmart has some inexpensive ones, the thicker the better!
7. Show real life examples: Look around their home for needed repairs!
8. Develop an inclusive dialogue: Learn ‘Old’ English! And, remember, most are deaf!
9. Maximise participation: Play Bingo, let them win!
10. Ensure the setting is right for change: Most are in bed and wide awake at 3:00 AM!
According to the Government’s Actuary Department, by 2050 people aged over 50 will represent 30 per cent of the UK population compared to 2006.
UK population?, Are you talking about that obscure province of the EU where its population disappeared during the Landscheidt minimum because they couldn’t make it with all those crazy windmills?
Leon B @ur momisugly 9:58…. Dude you rock! In the 90’s the Canadian government tried to deindex pensions from cost of living increases. Never was such a wuppin given to government…. don’t mess with pensioners!!!!!
Again…. sincerely…. Jeff
Older people have much more highly developed B.S. Detectors, and were educated back when the scientific method meant something.
We don’t take kindly to patronising B.S. By wet behind the ears pip-squeaks.