Greening The Greys

The report finds that UK baby boomers (50-64) have the highest carbon footprint due to high spending on travel and consumption, while the oldest group (75+) has the highest climate impact per pound spent, primarily due to home heating. Despite general fear and motivation to act, older adults face barriers such as the cost of public transport and high capital costs for home energy efficiency.

• Baby boomers (aged 50-64) possess the highest carbon footprint of any age group in the UK, emitting 13.52 tonnes of CO2 per capita per year, which is 1.5 to 2.5 tonnes more than other age groups.
• The carbon emissions of baby boomers are primarily driven by high spending on travel, including car dependency and holidays abroad, as well as eating out and consumables.
• Seniors (65-74) have the second highest carbon footprint at 12.10 tonnes of CO2 per capita per year, with home energy emissions 33 per cent higher than the national average.
• Elders (75+) have the highest climate impact per pound spent because carbon-intensive home heating represents 40 per cent of their total carbon footprint.
• A survey of over 50s in North Yorkshire indicates that 53.7 per cent feel 'fearful' of climate change, and 75 per cent believe the planet is already experiencing its consequences.
• While 72 per cent of over 50s feel motivated and 80 per cent believe they should personally take action, they express frustration over barriers such as the cost of public transport and the long payback periods for home energy efficiency investments.
• There is a strong consensus among the over 50s that the UK government and business sectors should provide stronger leadership and intervention to facilitate a low-carbon transition.

APA

Haq, G., Minx, J., Whitelegg, J., & Owen, A. (2007). Greening The Greys. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Future/ClimateChangeandOver50s.pdf

Chicago

Haq, Gary, Jan Minx, John Whitelegg, and Anne Owen. Greening The Greys. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2007. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Future/ClimateChangeandOver50s.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Haq |first1=Gary |last2=Minx |first2=Jan |last3=Whitelegg |first3=John |last4=Owen |first4=Anne |title=Greening The Greys |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=February 2007 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Future/ClimateChangeandOver50s.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{haq2007greening, author = {Haq, Gary and Minx, Jan and Whitelegg, John and Owen, Anne}, title = {{Greening The Greys}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2007}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Future/ClimateChangeandOver50s.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }