Climate Change in an Aging Society

Climate Change in an Aging Society is the first book fully devoted to the impact of climate change on those who are old today-and those who will be old in decades to come. In doing so, Moody focuses on issues of critical importance: aging in place; health and age in a warming world; responsibility for the climate crisis; options for climate-conscious consumers; planning for investment for a green retirement; and opportunities for political action. The number of Americans aged over 65 is projected to rise from 17% to 21%. By 2060 nearly one in four Americans will be 65 or older. By 2050, however, average temperatures in the USA could rise by as much as 3°C, and extreme weather events are likely to become more frequent and severe. Despite these alarming projections and the likelihood that climate change will cause serious health issues among the elderly, little attention has been devoted to the impact of climate change on this demographic. Employing a life-course perspective and a cross-generational approach, Moody assesses the impact of climate change on those who are old today and those who will be old in years to come. Challenging both climate complacency and climate defeatism, the book adopts as its clarion call, HERE NOW YOU HOPE. Written in an engaging personal style with highlighting case studies of influential "eco-elders," this urgent book will be of great interest to students and scholars with interests in climate change, gerontology, and environmental and social policy.

Harry R. Moody is Visiting Faculty in the Creative Longevity and Wisdom Program of Fielding Graduate University, USA. He is former Vice President and Director of Academic Affairs at AARP in Washington and is currently the editor of the popular Human Values in Aging monthly newsletter. In 2011, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society on Aging, and in 2008 he was named by Utne Reader Magazine as one of "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World." He is the author of Ethics in an Aging Society (1992), Abundance of Life: Human Development Policies for an Aging Society (1988), and over 100 scholarly articles. He is also the co-author of Aging: Concepts and Controversies (10th edition, 2020), Gerontology: The Basics (Routledge, 2018), Dignity and Old Age (Routledge, 1998), and The Five Stages of the Soul: Charting the Spiritual Passages That Shape Our Lives (1997), and the editor of Religion, Spirituality, and Aging: A Social Work Perspective (Routledge, 2005).

1. Climate Change: Here-Now-You-Hope Part I: Climate Change and Aging in Place 2. The Fire Next Time: Wildfire 3. Flood: The Water Will Come Part II: Health and Age in a Warming World 4. Heat Wave: The Heat Is On 5. Drought: Where Did the Water Go? Part III: Ethics 6. Who Is to Blame for Global Warming? The Wealthy, Rich Countries, Big Business, Older People 7. What Should We Do? No Time for Excuses Part IV: Actions 8. Becoming a Climate-Conscious Consumer 9. Investment for a Green Retirement 10. Citizen Climate Action Part V: Hope 11. Climate Hope and Fear: Waking from the Dream