Older Hoosiers have a resource to address climate change - Public News Service

Older Hoosiers have a resource to address climate change / Public News Service

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Older Hoosiers have a resource to address climate change
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According to the Climate Change Project, Indiana is projected to see an average of 39 days of intense heat per year by 2050. (Adobe Stock)

The Illinois Department of Health says health conditions caused by climate change are worsened due to poverty, lack of access to health care, unemployment and isolation. (Adobe Stock)

A Spray underwater glider shortly after deployment in the Gulf Stream offshore of Miami, Fla., began one of the many glider-based surveys of the Gulf Stream completed by Associate Scientist Robert Todd's group at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution since 2015. (Robert Todd/WHOI)

In 2022, Craig Unit 3 in Colorado emitted over 2.8 million tons of CO2, more than 1,700 tons of acid rain-causing SO2, and more than 2,900 tons of ozone-causing NOx. (Adobe Stock)

From excessive heat to flooding, environmental extremes can disproportionately affect older people, according to Purdue University's Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment. Cornell University has created a consortium to increase awareness and encourage older people to play a more visible role in fighting climate change. Comments from Karl Pillemer (PILL-lem-murr), professor of gerontology, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University.

The country is feeling the chill of winter now, but 2023 will be in the history books as the hottest year on record. And worries are growing about how climate change will affect the most vulnerable segment of the population - the elderly. By 2025, nearly 19 percent of all Hoosiers will be age 65 or older. And in 62 of Indiana's 92 counties, that figure will exceed 20 percent. Cornell University has created its "Aging and Climate Change Clearinghouse" to examine this intersection. Gerontology Professor Karl Pillemer says the clearinghouse has a dual purpose.

"This new clearinghouse is aimed at bringing together researchers, environmental and aging organizations and older people who are wondering, 'How can I get involved, and what should I be doing to protect myself now?'"

Pillemer notes that older Hoosiers may wonder if their actions to combat climate change would make a difference. The consortium will offer strategies for older adults and environmental organizations to partner on solutions.

A Purdue University report, "Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment," says that since 1895, Indiana's statewide annual average temperature has risen by 1-point-2 degrees Fahrenheit, or about a tenth of a degree Fahrenheit per decade. The report also reveals that since 1960, the average annual temperature has risen four-tenths of a degree Fahrenheit per decade year round. Pillemer says warmer summer temperatures already present warning signs.

"There have been many studies of extreme heat events. Older people living alone are vastly, disproportionately likely to die or to become sick in those extreme heat events."

The report also indicates the warming trend has sped up in recent decades. And as temperatures climb, the risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke will increase. Other related impacts, such as climate change-related flooding, will mean more mold, and more mosquitoes and ticks - along with the diseases they carry.

The country is feeling the chill of winter now, but 2023 will be in the history books as the hottest year on record. And worries are growing about how climate change will affect the most vulnerable segment of the population - the elderly. Terri Dee has more.

I'm Terri Dee reporting

Reach Pillemer at kap6@cornell.edu. Aging and Climate Consortium: http://tinyurl.com/mw9epnfj Purdue University Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment: http://tinyurl.com/3hzdn3yf Indiana State Report on Aging: (for Hoosier figures in the Intro):http://tinyurl.com/32pzt3sa The Climate Change Project: http://tinyurl.com/4p5utuxj (caption)

Disclosure: The Joyce Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Environment, Environmental Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.

Weill Cornell Medical College Gerontology Professor Karl Pillemer said the clearinghouse has a dual purpose.

"This new clearinghouse," said Pillemer, "is aimed at bringing together researchers, environmental and aging organizations and older people who are wondering, 'How can I get involved, and what should I be doing to protect myself now?'"

Pillemer noted that older Illinoisans may wonder if their actions to combat climate change would make a difference. The consortium will offer strategies for older adults and environmental organizations to partner on solutions.

The report also warns that, by the end of this century, the state's historically brisk winters will be warmer - by four to nine degrees Fahrenheit on the low end, and perhaps as much as 14 degrees on the high end.

Pillemer said warmer summer temperatures already present warning signs.

"There have been many studies of extreme heat events in places like Illinois," said Pillemer. "Older people living alone are vastly disproportionately likely to die or to become sick in those extreme heat events."

The report indicates as temperatures climb, the risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke will increase.

Other related impacts, such as climate change-related flooding, will mean more mold, and more mosquitoes and ticks - along with the diseases they carry.

In addition, underwater gliders have slowly navigated the Gulf Stream - revealing warm rings of water, which Todd says could enter the Gulf of Maine and alter marine environments and species.

"You can imagine if you have an organism that likes cold water, and suddenly the water is a whole lot warmer because this ring was there," said Todd, "those organisms might not be there anymore or might suffer - and then, the fisheries associated with that would suffer."

"To see them make this big a change," said Clark, "and actually commit to closing a couple of coal-fired power plants, and also invest in more alternative energy sources -- is, I think, a huge win for everybody. And it's actually going to reduce rates for their customers."

Last week, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission approved an alternative plan for Xcel, the state's largest provider, that increases reliance on natural gas and cuts investments in lower-cost renewables in the short term.

Tri-State's proposal would close unit three in Craig in 2028, two years earlier than planned, largely due to coal prices.

"There's amazing work being done," said Clark, "to create new jobs and create new industries, and bolster existing industries in ways that create opportunities for people who might be losing a job at a coal mine or a coal plant."

Clark said he hopes Tri-State's proposal will move others to act on climate change.

According to Environmental Protection Agency data, air pollution from unit three in Craig is responsible for $75 million in increased healthcare costs each year from heart attacks, asthma attacks, and other diseases.

"All of these things are huge public health issues," said Clark. "And I think a giant energy company like Tri-State changing their mind and deciding to step up and take some actions like this is a huge example for others in the industry to try and do some of the same things."