People over 60 are greenhouse gas emission bad guys

The new generation of seniors are leaving behind a heavy climate footprint. In 2005, the over-60 age group accounted for 25 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. Research shows that by 2015 the proportion was close to 33 per cent. “Older people used to be thrifty. The generation that experienced World War II was careful about how they used resources. The ‘new elderly’ are different,” says Edgar Hertwich, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Industrial Ecology Programme. A survey of greenhouse gas emissions by age in 2005, 2010 and 2015 and including 27 EU countries, Norway, the United Kingdom, the USA, Australia and Japan shows that boomers are the worst when it comes to their carbon footprint.