Older People and Climate Change: Vulnerability and Resilience to Extreme Weather in England

Katie Oven, Jonathan Wistow, Sarah Curtis

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

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 languageEnglish
Title of host publicationPeople and Climate Change
Subtitle of host publicationVulnerability, Adaptation, and Social Justice
EditorsLisa Reyes Mason, Jonathan Rigg
Place of PublicationOxford
PublisherOxford University Press
Chapter4
Pages68-83
ISBN (Electronic)9780190886486
ISBN (Print)9780190886455
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 30 May 2019

Keywords

  • older adults
  • resilience
  • vulnerability
  • climate change
  • complexity theory
  • nexus thinking

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