Projektdetails

Background: Population ageing, climate change, and energy insecurity are emerging as interconnected challenges that disproportionately threaten the health and wellbeing of older adults, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Climate related hazards and unreliable access to affordable, clean energy exacerbate chronic diseases, disrupt healthcare access, and increase vulnerability in resource constrained settings. Despite growing evidence of these individual challenges, their combined systemic effects remain poorly understood. This research addresses this gap by examining the climate-energy-health nexus to identify key pathways and leverage points for strengthening resilience among older adults in LMICs.

Objectives: This research aims to understand how climate change, population ageing, and energy insecurity interact to influence the health and wellbeing of older adults in LMICs. It seeks to develop and validate an integrated framework of the climate-energy-health nexus, assess the impacts of future climate and energy stress scenarios, and identify leverage points and adaptation strategies to strengthen the resilience of older adults and health systems. The objective is to generate context specific evidence to support equitable, sustainable, and climate resilient policies and interventions.

Methodology: This research employs a systems thinking approach using System Dynamics Methodology to investigate the dynamic relationships between climate change, energy insecurity, and older adult health in LMICs. The study combines a literature review, expert elicitation, causal loop diagrams (CLDs), and system dynamics modelling (SDM) to develop and validate an integrated systems model. The model will subsequently be evaluated through stakeholder engagement, policy scenario analysis, and stress testing to examine system resilience under future climate and energy challenges and identify priority adaptation strategies.

Further information

CoCareSociety website: https://ms.hereon.de/cocare/index.php.en

The CoCareSociety project is administered by the Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), Helmholtz- Zentrum Hereon and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) with project management support from the German Aerospace Center (DLR).