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
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Hey now, not all of us “whipper snappers” are dumb and listen to everything the media says. I am 29 going on 65 I guess….
Thing about media and getting people involved with “current events” as all these press releases want to do:
It had to opposite effect on me. When I was in third grade we had to find a story in the newspaper and write a paper on what the author was trying to say. Being me, I chose an editorial and proceeded to rip apart the argument. Teacher was mad at me and said that was not the point of the assignment…I stopped reading the newspaper because of that and only read the comics after that. Haven’t read an actual newspaper since then….
But shrug, some of us youngsters have been reading press releases for awhile and taking them with just a grain of salt so to speak. I always found the comics the most enlightening part of the newspaper especially farside and Calvin and Hobbes as a kid. Then dilbert…but I digress.
Point is, these stupid projects always have more negative effect, its like the old saying, the more you push people into doing something, the more they will resist (or come out on the other side of the argument..), reminds me of the star wars quote I quoted the other day….
“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.”
Or maybe the 50-64 year olds have jobs and are doing lots of things that creates a larger foot print and as they age and retire their footprint naturally drops because they don’t drive to work every day and various other changes in lifestyle.
In fact based on the SEI carbon footprint numbers by age group, I think any logical person would conclude that typically as one ages ones carbon footprint decreases. I would like to see what data these ‘scientists’ have that indicates that baby boomers will maintain their current high footprint as they age.
I just miss the baby boomer labels as I am only 48, but I do have a foot print I will show to the SEI’s rear end.
It’ll never work. I’m on to you, sonny.
Not until they pull this Jack Nicklaus “Response” Putter from my cold dead hands!
First of all the) had a 10 point plan. Anyone who has done marketing knows you don’t go over 9.
Next thing, just reported in Ireland, more elderly and poor die from winters than summers.
The report here is based on man-made global warming and may be funded by such peers.
We are heading into 30 years of global cooling. I would like to see them explain climate change to a bunch of stiffs at the rest home whom didn’t get enough heat to survive the colder winters.
Paul
Perhaps the authors could undertake to abide by their own prescription:
A: Abandon old stereotypes.
I’m over 70, got an MA 14 years ago and a PhD ten years ago.
I know how to put a woolly jumper on and I’ll put my plastic bottles out if I feel like it.
Go away, you irritating researchers and leave me alone.
This carbon footprint relation with age has no relationship with knowledge of climate change and it’s possible effects. It is related to simple economics and use or missuse of energy. Boomers tend to waste more energy because they can afford it. Retirees have less money to waste and get more frugal with age. As a 78 year old retired environmental scientist that did research for EPA for over 20 years, I believe the younger generation needs to listen to their elders as to the truth with respect to causes of climate change and it’s effects.
If you read the piece again but substitute the word “lifestyle” for “climate” you get the real, sinister picture: lifestyle change (whether you like it or not, ultimately).
These clowns are pushing a hairshirt existence in the manner of 17th century Puritans.
Does one wonder why there is so little advertising money spent on the elderly? Maybe it is because, as a whole, they’re more skeptical and a little less gullible than the younger generations. Maybe they just don’t buy this AGW crisis. Maybe they’re right!
“Greening the Greys”, Gary Haq. Jan Minx. John Whitelegg. Anne Owen., 2007:
http://50plus.climatetalk.org.uk/downloads/ClimateChangeandOver50s.pdf
Ah well, a whole lotta drivel, but he seems to operate in this field for quite a while already. Seems to be funding in there.
You have to break it up. “social” = a group of socialists
e- = electronic (they have their favorite social media)
co-log = they look at tree ring proxies and predict the future
-ist = let’s pretend this is a science so people won’t realize it’s a religion.
Why aren’t the older generations flocking to support the hoped-for
rage against the carbon machine ?
Well.. it’s been the medium, not the message.
The warmistas will always blame someone else for their
message not “selling”.
Time for the Optimum Population Trust to roll out the “foregone” offset plan…
“A non-existent person has no environmental footprint: the emissions “saving” is instant and total. Given an 80-year lifespan and annual per capita emissions (2006) of 9.3 tonnes of CO2 (Defra, 2007, provisional), each Briton “foregone” – each addition to the population that does not take place – saves 744 tonnes of CO2, equivalent in emissions to 620 return flights from London to New York (1.2 tonnes of CO2 each).”
http://smartgirlpolitics.ning.com/profiles/blogs/will-new-warnings-lead-to
I can’t believe the idea of “good old times” doesn’t carry over to climate!
Amazing. They’re changing the propaganda methods to match the age of the targets. Nice
http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=world+gurning+championships&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=b6t2TOmvLZCM4gbN2aiUBg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CDUQsAQwAw&biw=1259&bih=592
They will do with this what they did with AARP, with professional journals, with all major newspapers, TV networks and similar media outlets, and with most professional societies: leverage an officer’s position [preferably the president] into being the spokesman for the entire organization. This is the same method they successfully used to hijack the APS, the RS, the Economist, Scientific American, Science, Nature, etc.
The rules are set up so the rank-and-file have no real say in anything, and they have no way to communicate with the rest of the membership. Their only job is to pay dues.
Dr Gary Haq [who appears to be under 40] is setting up this new organization putatively representing older folks. Dr Haq is being disingenuous. This is just one more example of how a minority [those selling the CO2=CAGW conjecture] has gamed the system for its own personal financial benefit, at the expense of everyone else. And it’s all based on junk science.
A couple of reasons older people don’t buy the propaganda:
1) They’ve seen enough [socialist|hysteric] propaganda in their lifetime to recognize it when they see/hear it
2) They’ve seen enough climate cycles to recognize that it is indeed cyclical.
I don’t know about Europe but around here they had best be able to move fast lest they be shot for trying to rob us old people.
The Green Shirts are on the march.
” Alexej Buergin says:
August 25, 2010 at 6:32 am
In France, where knowing how to live is an art, they call it “savoir vivre”:
—- If you think somebody is a complete idiot, go out of your way to be extremely polite to him —-”
Dr. Haq is one of those gentlemen and scholars I feel an absolute need to be extremely polite to, very, very, polite.
I’ll just tell them what the old folks told me when I was an irresponsible kid. “Get off my grass you dirty little rug ape! I’m callin’ the cops on ya!”
Like Pogo, I’m another “old codger” with a Doctorate in Physics and I’m damned if I’ll let myself be patronised by that shower of wa[snip]rs!
I can only hope that such a twit shows up at my door, so I can introduce his Marxist backside to my Capitalist boot.
Rip off seniors. Send an inspector to an energy audit at their small house for 800 dollars. Then have your cousin give them a special deal on weatherizing for 5800 dollars. Of course the fine print will be a lien on your house and a loan.
Dr Haq is right I am old and I don’t engage with climate change, as I don’t engage with every other “the end of the world is nigh!” cult that has come along. I have seen all these scares before, the Y2K bug, SARS, Swine Flu, Bird Flu, the vanishing ozone layer, deforestation, overpopulation, but strangely we are all still here
I just hope for warmer weather, but never get any in UK.