The summary below was developed from insights shared in a conversation with Dr. Mahsa Madani. Her expertise was critical in the development of the Aging in a Changing Climate article.
Dr. Mahsa Madani, Associate Professor, Ted Rogers School of Management, Global Management Studies
I remember it was 2018 – I was reading the news and I found out that the heat wave happened in Montreal. It killed 44 older adults. Three years after, in 2021, I found out that in British Columbia, 570 people were killed from the heatwave, and most of them were older adults. This caused me to start working in this area to better understand why these impacts continue to occur and how we can design more resilient and sustainable systems to better protect our aging populations. I was thinking about my future, so that’s why it made me curious to study more about it.
The connection between climate change and older adult health is mainly related to the fact that older adults are more vulnerable to environmental stress. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of events such as heat waves, wildfires, floods, and air pollution. These conditions can be hard for older adults to cope with because they have many vulnerabilities; they can have many chronic health conditions, reduced mobility or limited access to care and social supports. For example, during a heatwave, older adults are at a higher risk of dehydration, heat stroke or heart or respiratory problems. Older adults who have disabilities or cognitive impairments cannot respond quickly during emergencies. Older adults who are socially isolated or economically disadvantaged often experience far greater impacts, highlighting that climate change is not only an environmental issue, but also a social and health equity challenge. Older adults who live alone or in long-term care facilities may not receive timely support during disasters. We saw that during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic was not climate-related, but it showed that the long-term care systems in Canada already face challenges, and this weakness can be more serious when it comes to climate disasters.
I think Canada has made important progress in climate adaptations and public health planning, but there are still several areas where current policies fall short in protecting our older adults. Canada’s current policies actually overlook climate justice. Climate justice means making sure that climate change policies and actions are fair, and that vulnerable populations like older adults are protected from the harms of the climate crisis. Many policies are still general population-focused rather than age-specific. So older adults who have unique vulnerabilities, such as chronic diseases, limited mobility, social isolation, and so on, do not always get their needs addressed directly. For example, the cooling centers or evacuation plans – these exist in Canadian policies, but they may not be accessible for seniors who live alone or cannot travel easily. The current system is actually more reactive than preventative. In many cases, actions are taken when extreme events such as heat waves, floods, or wildfires occur instead of investing in long-term prevention, such as improving housing quality, increasing green spaces in high-risk neighborhoods, and improving surveillance systems to identify vulnerable older adults before disaster happens.
Data analytics and modeling are powerful tools for understanding, predicting, and mitigating the impact of climate change on older adults. They can combine health, demographic, and environmental data to identify which older adults are most at risk and highlight the hot spots where the vulnerabilities overlap. Predictive modeling can estimate how future climate events will affect our older adults, considering factors like age, chronic conditions, mobility limitations, and social isolation. Data-driven models can assess which adaptation interventions like heat alerts, social outreach programs, or infrastructure upgrades are most effective for reducing risk for older adults, and can help governments, healthcare systems, and social services allocate resources more efficiently. They allow for the ongoing monitoring and improvement of strategies based on real outcomes and changing climate conditions.
As academics, our role is to provide the evidence and develop tools to understand climate risk for older adults, but real impact actually depends on the policymakers and governments using this knowledge in practice. I think strong collaborations between research and policy here is necessary to turn evidence into effective prevention, preparedness, and health interventions, but I feel that there is a lack of these connections. What we found through data-driven models and processes is what we now need to test in real-case scenarios to see if it works. Working in the area of aging and climate change gives me some hope because I can see that effective planning, data-driven approaches, and community engagement can make a real difference to protect our older adults, which means that we don't have to wait for disasters to act. Programs which enhance social support networks, improve emergency preparedness, and invest in resilience infrastructure, show that climate adaptation is achievable when science, planning, and human compassion work together. When we have even very small targeted interventions like connecting socially isolated seniors to support systems, or ensuring that they have access to cooling centers during heat waves can save lives and improve quality of life. This reinforces my belief that we can build more resilient, inclusive and safer communities for our older adults in a changing climate.
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