‘The elderly, by and large, grew up in frugality, simplicity and neighbourliness — which, if needs are adequately met, are in fact principles central to environmentalism.”
Does the older generation care as much about climate change as the younger ones? They don’t seem as concernedor are as vocal as younger activists, some reports insist. Even when surveys such as the 2021 OCBC Climate Index show that the elderly are more likely to take public transport and save electricity or water at home, some are inclined to believe they’re more concerned about cutting costs than protecting the planet. After all, we’ve seen the mushrooming of youth climate groups but have barely heard our ahmas and ahgongs, (Singapore dialect referring to grandmothers and grandfathers) expressing support for a plastic bag charge.
Many have tried explaining the situation. It could be indifference, given that an older person may feel they don’t have as much stake in the future as young people do. Maybe language barriers have prevented them from receiving environmental news in today’s English-saturated media landscape. Perhaps they do not use social media, the house of environmental activism.
I was once a believer of these narratives too. When I was 17, I conducted a workshop on plastic pollution for the elderly, hoping to spread the environmental message to an age group I saw as marginalised.
But now I realise that the dominant narrative of them as ‘needing to be educated’ sidelines and incapacitates the elderly in the climate movement. Singling this age group out firstly distracts us from seeing that the issue is systemic. It reinforces misconceptions that climate change can and should be solved by individual actions, and those who do not adopt what are seen as widely accepted environmentally friendly habits should be faulted and blamed. This polarisation between the “good” and the “bad” unfairly excludes and penalises the wrong people.
Our living treasure trove
This essay does not aim to romanticise the older generation, traditional practices and worldviews of the past. Indeed, many harmful ideologies have been passed down through the ages and still need to be uprooted. And, of course, present-day environmental narratives are not irrelevant; we still need to reduce plastic usage and eat less meat. Neither does this essay dispute data showing generational differences, such as that the old are less likely to experience climate anxiety than the youth. Rather, I aim to undo the prejudices and preconceived notions that much of our society harbours about the elderly. No progress on the climate narrative can be made if our eyes are blurred with such an age-discriminatory stance.
In general, the transition from the lower-carbon lifestyles of the past to the buy-and-throwaway lifestyles that many lead today demonstrates that our current economic system makes us live in excess; it creates new habits to sustain that excess. People couldn’t have suddenly turned greedy overnight or be said to possess such innate tendencies if they had long been living in societies devoid of them. Today's overproduction and pollution epidemic has steadily ballooned, thanks to certain economic policies. Having lived through the old and new eras, the elderly is perhaps best positioned to speak of that transition.
On the other hand, the typical characterisation of the elderly as ”ignorant,” ”uncaring,” or needing to be “educated,” bespeaks moral superiority and underestimates their capabilities. The elderly are treasure troves of cultural heritage, which is crucial to the fight against the erosion of local culture.
Like indigenous wisdom, local culture and its preservation are an important but under-recognised climate strategy in our ever-modernising Singapore. Singapore’s climate strategy has typically been techno-centric, which makes fringe improvements to a fundamentally problematic high-resource lifestyle. As mentioned in the introduction, the elderly is the age group with the least resource-intensive habits. While one could argue that it is driven by cost savings, it would be woefully inaccurate to say that cost alone dictates the elderly’s lifestyle choices. While the young today grow up hearing the sustainability narrative over and over again, the elderly, by and large, grew up in frugality, simplicity and neighbourliness — which, if needs are adequately met, are in fact principles central to environmentalism.
The silent activists
Still, far from being passive victims of the carbon-intensive system, the elderly are also our active climate solutions providers. Without brandishing their humble work as ‘green jobs’ as is so often seen in the corporate world, they are certainly the best native environmental stewards. At Ground-Up Initiative[AC1] , I see the elderly’s power in their know-how of the many different ways of composting and regenerating dead soil. At Repair Kopitiam, I see the elderly’s power in the way they teach us how to repair broken electronic devices and equipment. In my neighbourhood, I see the elderly’s power in the garang guni[ABL2] , who goes around collecting items for recycling while educating others about what can or cannot be recycled. At my grandmother’s house, I see the elderly’s power in her nimble fingers fixing a torn dress or worn-out elastic.
They are living examples of what a more sustainable lifestyle could look like. So why are we failing to keep the conversation focused on them, when they provide living examples of low-carbon and human-centric solutions?
Finally, given that they are one of the most vulnerable age groups to the effects of climate change, their voices should be given greater attention when they speak up on climate adaptation and building a more liveable city. Unfortunately, an “ageing population” still largely elicits negative sentiments and ideas of ‘burdensome.’ But a society that centres on the inclusion of vulnerable people and which prioritises a slow culture and care work rather than glorifying overwork fights against the same exploitative culture that destroys the environment.
It is both unrealistic and unfair to expect everyone to conform to the typical ‘environmentally friendly’ behaviour in order to regard someone as practising environmental stewardship. A more just approach considers individuals’ diverse entry points and lived experiences and applies a comprehensive and inclusive lens towards validating and encouraging climate work. Classifying them as ‘environmentally inactive’ underestimates their knowledge and power to drive change.
Redirecting our climate strategy
At COP27 this year, I saw how people of different ages echoed the call for climate action and justice. We have long championed solidarity across races, nationalities and income levels in the climate movement. In a similar vein, let us advocate for inclusivity and inter-generational solidarity. Let us re-focus our climate strategy to be more elderly-centric and allow their simple philosophy to guide how we lead our lives.
Were we to finally recognise the untapped knowledge and experience of the elderly, the climate message can travel much further and penetrate so much deeper. Our scope of climate activism would include old aunties and uncles in the coffee shops. An expansive understanding liberates not only the elderly but us all.
Posted 18 Sep 2023
