UN Report Warns Heatwaves Pose Growing Risk to Older Persons

Kathmandu: As extreme heat becomes the “new normal” across the globe, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has raised serious concerns about the increasing health risks faced by older persons due to climate change. 

In its newly released Frontiers 2025 Report, titled “The Weight of Time – Facing a New Age of Challenges for People and Ecosystems”, UNEP highlights how rising temperatures, deteriorating air quality, and frequent floods are endangering the lives of older adults, particularly in low- and middle-income urban areas.

According to a statement issued by UNEP, the report reveals that annual heat-related deaths among adults aged 65 and above have increased by an estimated 85 percent since the 1990s. With older persons now forming a growing share of the global population, their vulnerability to climate impacts, especially those with chronic illnesses, reduced mobility, or frailty has become a pressing concern. 

UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen warned that heatwaves are among the most frequent and deadly impacts of climate change, alongside floods and melting ice. She emphasized the need for urgent preparedness to protect society’s most vulnerable populations and added that solutions exist to help restore ecosystems and safeguard communities.

The report recommends making cities more resilient, accessible, and environmentally friendly by promoting better urban planning, improving access to climate information, and encouraging community-based disaster risk management. Earlier this year, the UN Human Rights Council also adopted a resolution to begin developing a legally binding international instrument focused on the rights of older persons, a move seen as a step toward ensuring greater protection for those most exposed to climate threats.

In addition to the risks faced by older populations, the Frontiers 2025 Report draws attention to other emerging dangers. Melting glaciers and the shrinking cryosphere, due to global warming, may awaken dormant microorganisms such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses, potentially leading to increased antimicrobial resistance. 

The report warns that if temperatures rise more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels, the cryosphere will decline significantly, impacting over 670 million people living in those regions and billions more who depend on water from them. It calls for urgent emission reductions, particularly black carbon emissions from diesel engines, open burning, and wildfires, while recommending limited tourism in fragile frozen areas and greater scientific research into cryospheric microorganisms.

The report also highlights the threat posed by floods, which can re-mobilize dangerous chemicals that were banned decades ago but remain in sediment. As floodwaters disturb these sediments, toxic chemicals may resurface and enter urban areas or food chains. Suggested mitigation measures include improved drainage systems, traditional water control structures like dikes and retention basins, sponge-city models, pollutant monitoring, and economic impact assessments.

Another area of concern is the growing number of aging dams. While dams provide significant benefits, many older ones are becoming obsolete or unsafe, posing risks to surrounding communities and ecosystems. The report notes that countries in Europe and North America are increasingly removing such structures to restore river connectivity, support biodiversity, and promote natural processes in line with the UN’s ecosystem restoration principles.

Released under UNEP’s Foresight Trajectory initiative, the Frontiers 2025 Report is the seventh edition in the series that identifies emerging environmental challenges and possible solutions. Its first edition in 2016 notably warned of the rising risk of zoonotic diseases, four years before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.