Solidarity between generations crucial to help tackle Climate Change, says Cross-Party Group
Members of the Senedd’s Cross-Party Group on Intergenerational Solidarity1 are working together to identify ways to bring different generations together in schools and other educational settings to encourage new action to help tackle climate change.
The impact of climate change was a key agenda item at the Group’s latest meeting, and members agreed that while the younger generation is often most associated with the climate change movement, older people also have significant concerns, and a vital role to play in tackling this threat.
A presentation from Age Cymru highlighted that older people are at particular risk from the effects of climate change, which impacts on their well-being and ability to age well. Hotter summers are creating health risks for older people, for example, especially those with heart issues and other chronic health conditions, while colder winters are increasing fuel costs and forcing many into fuel poverty.
While stereotypes often suggest that older people are not concerned about climate change or its impact, and are not prepared to take action to protect the environment, this is not reflected in data, which shows that 92% of people over 65 are concerned about climate change and that nearly three-quarters of people over 65 think the government is doing too little to respond to climate change.2
However, these kinds of myths and misconceptions can create tensions between generations which can act as a barrier to action. Encouraging solidarity is therefore important to enable knowledge-sharing and to inspire fresh perspectives and new ideas.
Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, Heléna Herklots CBE said:
“We know that climate change projects that have brought generations together have been successful3 and the action agreed by the Group will enable more work like this to inspire fresh perspectives and new ideas.
“It is important that people of all ages work together to play their part in tackling climate change and action across all generations will be important to support this.”
Delyth Jewell MS, Chair of the Cross-Party Group on Intergenerational Solidarity, said:
“We should not see the climate crisis as an issue that divides people: across all generations, our experience of this crisis must bind us together in a firm resolve. From flooding, wildfires and heatwaves that already blight our communities, it would be easy for us to lose hope, or to pit generations against one another. But wasting our energies in such a way would only intensify isolation; it would do nothing to combat the crises that face us.
“There is so much good work going on, intergenerationally, to address the climate crisis. From projects linking care homes with schools, from comics being developed to share stories, and workshops that link different generations together, there is so much we have to celebrate. Chairing the Cross Party Group on Intergenerational Solidarity always reminds me of the wonderful, defiant work that’s going on across Wales. That gives me hope – and we need to get better at telling those stories.”
The Commissioner added:
“There is often a misconception that older people don’t care about climate change, which is simply not true, something that pits younger and older generations against one another and feeds into wider ageist narratives that can lead to discrimination.
“Given the scale of the issues we face, it is essential that generations are united and work together to tackle the threats posed by climate change.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
1 The Commissioner established the Cross-Party Group to promote solidarity and understanding between generations, including projects that bring younger and older generations together, and to explore evidence and develop policy proposals that would benefit both younger and older generations. The group currently has over 50 members, including members of the Youth Parliament and key older people’s groups and organisations. More information about the Group is available here: https://business.senedd.wales/mgOutsideBodyDetails.aspx?ID=730
2 The 2022-23 National Survey for Wales asked participants about their ‘Level of Concern about Climate Change’. Of those aged 65+ who responded, 46% said they were ‘Very Concerned’, 33% said they were ‘Fairly Concerned’ and 13% said they were ‘Slightly Concerned’. https://www.gov.wales/national-survey-wales-results-viewer
3 More information about the Climate Comic and work of the OPTIC team can be found on their website: https://www.climatecomic.co.uk/about
