Seniors care about the planet, too
A study conducted in about ten countries shows that more than half of young people believe that “humanity is doomed” and blame previous generations for their inaction.
Najoua Tahri, University of Montpellier; Jacques Igalens and Ziad Malas, University of Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier
In 2019, activist Greta Thunberg was 16 years old when she declared at the UN:
“If you decide to let us down, I’m telling you: we’ll never forgive you.”
She was addressing governments, but also the adults who run the world. The phrase “ok boomer” symbolizes the political divide between generations, particularly as young people often appear highly critical of how their elders manage the world and respond by adopting more environmentally friendly behaviors. Beyond the symbolism represented by Greta Thunberg, there is indeed a behavioral gap between what is sometimes called Generation Z (today’s teenagers and adults aged 25) and older adults, identified with the baby boom generation (born between 1944 and 1960), or roughly speaking, those over 60.
In Western Europe, vegetarianism is six times more common among people under 25 than among those over 55. The importance of the automobile can also be seen as a sign of a generational divide: the car ownership rate among those over 60 was more than 10 percentage points higher than that of 18- to 25-year-olds in 2019, whereas the gap was zero in 2004. This is notably linked to a decline in interest in obtaining a driver’s license: while in 1981 in France, 90% of men aged 21 to 25 held a driver’s license, the proportion dropped to 80% in 2008, a trend driven by young people in major cities.
More broadly,the carbon footprint of people under 25 in wealthy countries is, on average, significantly lower than that of people over 60.
Should we then pit a youth committed to the environmental cause against self-centered seniors who are indifferent to it and trapped in eco-destructive—or even eco-cidal—attitudes and behaviors? The behavior of certain (older) Total shareholders during the blockade of the company by climate activists might suggest so.
Scientific studies offer more nuanced and often counterintuitive answers to this question… A recent survey shows that older adults are more interested in environmental issues than younger people and are more willing to put their beliefs into practice than the latter. Above all, older adults have good reasons to be concerned about the future of the planet…
Reasons specific to seniors
Older adults are more exposed to the effects of climate change; they are more vulnerable to illness in general, and are also the most at risk from diseases caused or exacerbated by global warming, according to research conducted at Cornell University (United States).
It is worth noting that hurricanes, whose frequency is increasing due to climate change, primarily claim the lives of older adults: when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, 75% of those who died were over the age of 60, even though this group accounted for only 16% of the population.
In France, in August 2003, an unprecedented heat wave caused 15,000 deaths during nine days of extreme heat. Yet Europe is increasingly plagued by such episodes, and the first victims are always the elderly. Not only do they become dehydrated more quickly (because they don’t feel the need to drink enough), but they often take medications whose effects are intensified by the heat, which weakens them instead of helping them…
The fine particulate matter produced by road traffic and industrial pollution affects them more than younger people. In developing countries, they are also the most vulnerable to stomach ailments caused by drinking contaminated water due to pollution or climate change. In fact, one reason older adults are concerned about climate change is that its effects are beginning to be felt, and they are the first to be affected.
The luxury of time and resources
In wealthy countries such as France, people aged 60–80 generally have a higher standard of living than young adults and possess significantly greater wealth. In terms of average standard of living, in 2019, €27,000 per year for those aged 65–75, while it was just €23,000 for those aged 18–29. The gap in net worth (real estate + savings – debt) is even more striking (a ratio of 1 to 9!).
These differences in average rates should not obscure the significant inequalities within each age group; however, poverty is less common among older adults than among younger people: the poverty rate for those aged 65 and older is 8.6%, compared with 15.7% for those aged 25–29 and 22.7% for those aged 18–24
However, having money allows you to escape the pressures of the present and leads you to worry a little more about the future…
Income, because it allows people to consume more, is often associated with a [ higher carbon footprint]. But money also makes it possible to make more sustainable purchases: electric cars, better-insulated homes, and furniture and equipment that last longer. As a result, even if an increase in income does not lead to a smaller carbon footprint, it appears to reduce the carbon footprint per euro spent.
In addition to this difference in financial resources, there is also the issue of available time. Eco-friendly behaviors, such as using public transportation or sorting waste, require time—a resource that people over 60 have more of (due both to retirement and the absence of young children at home). Thus, older adults often engage in more eco-friendly behaviors because they have greater capacity to do so.
“Generativity” at the heart of our commitment
Having the means isn’t enough; you also need the motivation to take action for the environment. And while older people are generally less aware of the link [between human activity] and climate change, as they age, their concern for the future of subsequent generations grows.
This is what psychologists call “generativity,” which, according to the American psychoanalyst [Eric Erikson], refers to “the concern for building and guiding future generations.”
This motivation goes hand in hand with more environmentally friendly consumption choices and also appears to explain the strong presence of people aged 55–75 among volunteers working in nonprofit organizations. Finally, this sense of generativity accounts for many initiatives undertaken by older adults that directly benefit the environment.
Seniors in their 70s alongside XR activists
Alongside the young people from Youth for Climate and Extinction Rebellion (XR), we’re seeing more and more people in their seventies who aren’t afraid to lie down on the ground to protest against oil companies.
In practice, older adults’ civic engagement on environmental issues can take various forms, as illustrated by the initiatives of organizations belonging to the “Grandparents for the Climate” network .
In the United Kingdom, lobbying of members of Parliament and businesses is common; in Belgium, the organization is known for its campaign to redirect savings toward sustainable projects or “green” investments. In France, the Grandparents for the Climate organization places greater emphasis on educational initiatives and the fight against waste.
Intergenerational support
The generational differences mentioned above mask significant disparities within each generation and reflect two quite distinct trends. On the one hand , as people age, they “spontaneously” consume less at age 75 than at age 50 because they adopt a more “homebound” lifestyle. On the other hand, as a recent ADEME study suggests , older generations are more inclined toward frugality because they have experienced less prosperous times and have retained “anti-waste” habits.
In a way, older adults can teach younger people to adopt more sustainable lifestyles, even though the latter are often more aware of the need to take action. Beyond education, older adults can support younger generations through the means at their disposal, particularly through saving and donating to nonprofit organizations.
Finally, older adults themselves are changing their habits. In the United States, for example, the proportion of solar panel buyers aged 65 and older has risen significantly since 2010.
The stereotype of older adults as polluters who are resistant to change can therefore be challenged and should not overshadow the growing importance of environmental issues for older adults—and, above all, their central role in the fight against global warming.
Najoua Tahri, Associate Professor of Management Sciences, IAE Montpellier and MRM, University of Montpellier; Jacques Igalens, Professor of Management Sciences, IAE Toulouse and CRM-CNRS; and Ziad Malas, Associate Professor of Management Sciences, University of Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Readthe original article.