Basic HTML-Version
35
Update: new junior research
group "Climate change and
aging in a global perspective"
Background
Climate change is one of the largest poten-
tial threats to global health. While it is
widely accepted that vulnerabilities to the
health impact of climate change will vary
according to gender, socio-economic status,
education, social networks and immobility,
the specific vulnerability of the elderly has
received very little scientific attention so far.
Some studies from UK and Sweden indicate
that the elderly might not only be more
vulnerable, particularly to heat, air pollution
and climate-sensitive infectious diseases,
but they may also have a larger climate
footprint, thus at the same time dispropor-
tionately contributing to and suffering from
climate change. Studies have also shown
that the elderly male population are more
reluctant to consider climate-induced
hazards a threat to their own health.
Set-up
In addition to the topic, the set up of this
junior group is quite innovative: it spans
two universities with their research capacity
on aging and climate:
›› University of Heidelberg (Institute of
Public Health, Network of Aging Research
NAR)
›› Umeå Universitet, Sweden (Centre for Glo-
bal Health Research and Centre for Aging
and Living Conditions)
Two doctoral scholarships were awarded
by the NAR on:
Climate change and aging in Germany
Topic: Climate-related perceptions and
behavior of the elderly and their
doctors and nurses in the Rhine-Neckar
Region
Climate change and aging in low- and
middle-income countries
Topic: The impact of climate on the health
of the ageing population in Nouna, Burkina
Faso.