Climate change: Ageing population in developed countries poses big carbon-reduction challenge for ‘world factories’ like China, Middle East, study finds

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Growing ranks of senior citizens leading carbon-intensive lifestyles pose a challenge for global efforts to reduce emissions, says study in Nature magazine

They are more likely to live in larger houses which use more energy and to spend more on manufactured goods, the report suggests

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The study found elderly people consumed more meat and dairy than their middle-aged compatriots, which translates to greater amounts of energy needed to produce them. Photo: AP

Yujie Xue

Published: 7:30am, 11 Mar 2022Updated: 12:05pm, 11 Mar 2022

The growing ranks of wealthy senior citizens leading carbon-intensive lifestyles in developed countries pose a challenge for global efforts to reduce carbon emissions, according to a scientific study.

The trend creates obstacles for the emission mitigation efforts of developing economies such as China and the Middle East, as those regions are responsible for producing most of the world’s consumer goods, said the article published in the scientific journal Nature on Wednesday.

The study by a team of international scientists revealed how the consumption habits and carbon footprints of rapidly ageing populations affect greenhouse gas emissions, and highlights the need for carbon mitigation strategies for a greying society.

It is estimated that the share of the population aged over 65 will double between 2019 and 2050 in developed countries, while 43 countries will see their populations decline, according to data from the United Nations.

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The study led by Zheng Heran, a postdoctoral researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, studied the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of household consumption across different age groups in 32 developed countries.

Climate change: Ageing population in developed countries poses big carbon-reduction challenge for ‘world factories’ like China, Middle East, study finds

Growing ranks of senior citizens leading carbon-intensive lifestyles pose a challenge for global efforts to reduce emissions, says study in Nature magazine They are more likely to live in larger houses which use more energy and to spend more on manufactured goods, the report suggests

Growing ranks of senior citizens leading carbon-intensive lifestyles pose a challenge for global efforts to reduce emissions, says study in Nature magazine

They are more likely to live in larger houses which use more energy and to spend more on manufactured goods, the report suggests