Abstract
Vulnerability to extreme weather events reflects the type, severity, and duration of the exposure, in addition to the attributes that make individuals and physical and social infrastructures susceptible to damage. Older populations are a demographic group likely to be at risk, despite their considerable capacity for adaptation and resilience. The vulnerability (and resilience) of older people significantly depends on the types and strengths of connections across complex systems of health and social care, upon which a substantial proportion of older people depend. In many areas of the world, there is growing emphasis on strategies to recognize, sustain, and strengthen this “nexus” of critical connections. This chapter considers people and climate change in a Western European context using illustrations from research in England, which focuses on the impacts of extreme weather events on the built infrastructure supporting older people’s health and social care delivery.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | People and Climate Change |
Subtitle of host publication | Vulnerability, Adaptation, and Social Justice |
Editors | Lisa Reyes Mason, Jonathan Rigg |
Place of Publication | Oxford |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Chapter | 4 |
Pages | 68-83 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780190886486 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780190886455 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 30 May 2019 |
Keywords
- older adults
- resilience
- vulnerability
- climate change
- complexity theory
- nexus thinking