There are many myths about the differences between generations – but none are more dangerous and destructive than the claim that it’s only the young that care about climate change. It has crept into so many discussions about climate concern that it has become an accepted truth that the young are at war with older generations who are utterly unfussed about the future of the planet. For example, when Time magazine named Greta Thunberg their person of the year in 2019, they called her a ‘standard bearer in generational battle’. Share this post: Recommend on Facebook Tweet about it Print […]
Category: Environment
Air Pollution – How do we Fight it?
This is particularly concerning from our point of view, as older people are considered one of the most vulnerable groups for this type of pollution – especially those with heart or respiratory conditions. As it currently stands, the quality of London’s air is illegally poor, it is the most pressing threat to the future health of London. It is therefore unsurprising that the Draft Environment Strategy states that the Mayor wants to “dramatically reduce the number of Londoners whose lives are blighted by poor air quality.”
Air pollution poses a huge risk to older Londoners – but what can we do about it? We discuss our recent conference on the risks of air pollution and outline the Mayor’s proposals for change in the Draft Environment Strategy.
Ageism and Film #6 – Still Game
My favourite Christmas presents are films and TV series. So much so, that I reserve a free night in January or February for my viewing pleasure. The 2016 offerings included ‘The Beatles: Eight Days a Week’ (well worth watching) and ‘Supersonic’, which I’ve yet to get round to – a real musical theme for some reason.
On opening both of these, I was instantly delighted. Here were two documentaries I was looking forward to watching, and had been well aware of even before their release in cinemas.
I opened one more box set on Christmas Day, and was surprised to find I’d never heard of it: Still Game, A BBC Scotland comedy created by Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill. Here’s why it’s such a good watch…
Winter is Coming – What’s London Doing?
Later this month we expect to see the publication of the latest “excess winter deaths” statistics, which will show how many older people (and others, but predominantly older people) died unnecessarily last winter. These facts should be a reminder to us that winter is coming and we need to support older people who have trouble heating their homes. As we do every winter, Age UKs in London will be working to help older people keep warm and stay healthy. What will other bodies be doing to make sure people in fuel poverty are able to do the same? Nationally, there […]
Don’t Get Left in the Dark – Call 105!
This week saw the launch of a brand new national phone number – “105” – which customers can use to report or receive information about a power cut in their area. In the past, many people have mistakenly called their energy supply companies in the event of a power cut, rather than their local electricity network operator.
The introduction of 105 aims to solve this problem by providing people with an easy-to-remember number that will put them straight through to their local electricity network operator.
Scared to Pop the Heating on?
According to the Met Office, this spring is the coldest for 50 years. This makes our campaign work on fuel poverty all the more pertinent. Age UK London is one of many organisations supporting the Energy Bill Revolution. Many British homes were not built with energy efficiency in mind. Heat can escape through poorly insulated walls or cracks in windows. This makes it hard for some people to afford to heat their homes and they may suffer ill health as a result. The statistics on fuel poverty are shocking, research has shown that: “On average, at least 7,800 people die […]