Human Rights of Older Persons and Climate Change

This research paper examines the intersection of climate change and the human rights of older persons, arguing for their prioritization in climate action decision-making while highlighting their potential as resources for sustainable futures.

• Older people face unique vulnerabilities to climate change driven by the interaction of hazard intensity, exposure, susceptibility, and coping capacities. Those with the least recovery capacity—including individuals with low incomes, disabilities, limited autonomy, or poor social ties—are the most vulnerable.
• Climate change threatens fundamental human rights for older adults, including rights to health, life, housing, food, water, work, culture, and development. Specific risks include exposure to dangerously high temperatures for up to 250 million older adults by 2050, as well as disproportionate impacts from tropical cyclones and flooding, which can lead to disease and mental health issues due to isolation.
• Despite their vulnerability, older adults are valuable assets for climate action due to their local environmental knowledge, voting power, and financial support. Engaging this group can improve social integration and strengthen local community resilience.
• There is a lack of binding international agreements specifically safeguarding the human rights of older people, and they are rarely mentioned in international climate accords. However, a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in April 2024 found that the Swiss Parliament failed to protect older women from global warming impacts.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2024). Human Rights of Older Persons and Climate Change. https://www.sei.org/publications/human-rights-older-persons-climate-change/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Human Rights of Older Persons and Climate Change. 2024. https://www.sei.org/publications/human-rights-older-persons-climate-change/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Human Rights of Older Persons and Climate Change |date=30 September 2024 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/human-rights-older-persons-climate-change/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2024human, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Human Rights of Older Persons and Climate Change}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/human-rights-older-persons-climate-change/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }