Climate change and population aging: a necessary systematic literature review

Abstract

There is, globally, an overlapping of two critical events that directly affect life in cities: changes in climate behavior and population aging. This older portion of the population is also one of the most vulnerable groups to the effects of climate change, requiring special attention in the construction of adaptation and mitigation strategies for these effects. Through a systematic literature review and use of bibliometrics, this research aimed to understand and systematize state-of-the-art academic research on the relationship between the elderly and climate change. It was possible to see advances in publications on the subject in recent years, with emphasis on China and the USA, the two most polluting countries. Despite this increase, the works analyzed are still focused mainly on studies on the impact of climate change on the population's health, to the detriment of other areas of knowledge. Thus, many papers were published in journals whose scope refers to Public, Environmental, and Occupational Health issues. The study identified a gap in understanding how weather events can interfere with the quality of life of the elderly living in urban environments and the role of cities in mitigating their effects.