On September 25, NYHealth hosted a webinar on the realities facing older adults, who are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Decreased mobility, chronic health conditions, weakened immune systems, and limited access to resources mean that extreme heat, severe storms, and other climate-related disasters disproportionately threaten older populations. Over the past two decades, older adults have consistently accounted for 50–100% of deaths during climate-related disasters.
The webinar featured the New York Climate and Aging Action Network (NY-CAAN), which examined the intersection of aging and climate resilience. Speakers shared updates on the NY-CAAN initiative and outlined what advocacy looks like at the policy, community, and individual levels. Participants also had the opportunity to reflect on what they are seeing in their own communities and explore ways to contribute to collective action that strengthens protections for older adults.
Speakers included:
- Allison Nickerson, Executive Director, LiveOn NY
- Karl Pillemer, Ph.D., Hazel E. Reed Professor of Human Development, Cornell University; Professor of Gerontology in Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
- Chloe Shores, Associate Director, Cornell Initiative for Research on Climate and Aging, Cornell University, Weill Cornell Medicine