A Climate Catastrophe As People In California Age

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The national population is aging, which causes a long list of problems, from paying Social Security to healthcare costs. The added problem in California is that many of these older people live in areas plagued by the negative effects of climate change.

According to Routy Fifty, Kai Chen, an associate professor of epidemiology at Yale, said, “We’re not in a scenario where only the climate is changing. The world is facing another public health challenge—aging. As the U.S. population grows older, the prospect of climate-related deaths looms larger. Each additional bit of warming has substantial health consequences. We’re not talking about the next generation.” People with dementia are particularly at risk.

Heat and wildfires are getting worse this summer.

California’s problem is the size of dangerous weather events and the difficulty forecasting them. Wildfires in the state can stem from downed power lines, cam fires, or lightning. Heavy rains have caused vegetation and brush to grow. Drought turns these into highly combustible fuel for fires. High winds caused these fires to destroy thousands of acres, threatening people living in these areas.

Large storms off the Pacific have dumped enough water to cause mudslides. Temperatures of over 100 degrees F are usually hard on older people who do not have air conditioning. People with dementia are particularly at risk because they are not always aware of the danger of their surroundings.

The problems will worsen because of climate change, and people will not get any younger.