Ageing in the Twenty-First Century: - HelpAge International

Ageing and environmental change
Climate change, the increasing risk of natural disasters
and ageing are some of the biggest issues facing
humanity this century. But links between them are
rarely made. Older men and women are among the most
vulnerable people to the impacts of natural disasters
and environmental change. Their vulnerability is due
to age-related issues such as chronic diseases, reduced
mobility and strength, and impaired sight and hearing.
High levels of migration leave them even more
vulnerable, as they are often left behind to care for
grandchildren in environmentally risky conditions.
This situation will only grow more precarious with
climate change, population ageing, migration,
continued environmental degradation and
unsustainable resource use. Most of the world’s older
people are in developing countries where vulnerability
to changes in climate and natural disasters is at its
highest. In Ethiopia, for example, some older persons
reported going hungry because there was less food due to
declining crop yields, loss of pasture and the rising cost
of food. 233 Some lost assets and status in the community
when their animals died as a result of the drought.
Older people also face life-threatening health risks
during increasingly common heat waves, and are at
greater risk of malaria and water-borne diseases.
Older persons have a unique role to play in sharing their
knowledge and experience of managing changes in
their environment. For example, in the Thar Desert in
India, agriculture is extremely vulnerable to drought.
In the absence of other occupations, agriculture remains
the primary livelihood for most families. Agriculture in
the Thar Desert would not be possible without the active
contributions of older farmers who use their knowledge
of seeds, watering of plants and crop protection
methods, as well as their physical labour on farms.
Older people have reintroduced the construction of
farming dykes, called khadins. These dykes retain
moisture from limited rainfall and result in a significant
crop yield. The technology had been forgotten and has
now been revived, providing great benefits to farmers. 234
Older people often have much greater attachment to
places and therefore a deeper understanding of the need
to manage their environment. They are more likely to
recognize the longer-term relationship between people
and their livelihoods, well-being and the environment.
For example, in Bolivia, which is prone to floods and
drought because of the changing climate, older
persons have used traditional knowledge of agricultural
techniques known as camellones, raised island banks
planted with a variety of fruits and vegetables.
The banks retain water in times of water stress and
Families in the drought-affected Bolivian highlands have set up
systems for conserving water and irrigating crops.
protect crops from flooding in lowland areas. The banks’
ponds are dug in between and populated with fish
which helps to diversify the community’s income and
make it more adaptable and resilient to changing
climate conditions. 235
Similarly, older persons in Mozambique have built wells
to improve access to water for irrigation and have
planted drought-resistant plants such as cassava and
sweet potato. 236
In the Bolivian lowlands, a number of NGOs are
working with the Chamani ethnic group to recover local
knowledge on adaptive strategies, drawing on older
people’s considerable knowledge of environmental
change and means of adaptation. For example, they are
observing birds’ nest-building sites to tell whether there
is dry or wet weather ahead. 237 In Kenya, older people
forecast weather patterns using the sun and moon and
by observing the trees. 238
Despite older people’s potential contribution, as well as
their specific vulnerabilities, however, they continue
to be excluded from debates on climate change and
disaster risk reduction. Contrary to the common
perception that, because the climate is changing,
older people’s knowledge is now obsolete, older people’s
experience of disasters and their knowledge of coping
mechanisms can be critical to the development of
local disaster risk-reduction and adaptation plans.
Combining local knowledge with broader scientific
knowledge is key to dealing with adaptation to
climate change. It is also necessary to have a better
understanding of the impact of climate change and
economic migration on older farmers and on older
persons’ food security.
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