A stark new report by the United Nations has revealed that heat-related deaths among people aged 65 and above have surged by 85% since the 1990s an alarming indicator of the escalating climate crisis. Titled The Weight of Time, the UNEP’s Frontier report, released on July 10, 2025, draws urgent attention to the vulnerability of older adults amid rising global temperatures, especially in urban centres and low- to middle-income countries.
The findings point to a grim future. If global temperatures rise by 2°C, heat-related deaths among the elderly could increase by a staggering 370% by 2050. Already, in India, people over 65 are facing 2.1 to 4 additional heatwave days per year compared to earlier decades, underlining the growing risks in tropical and densely populated regions.
According to projections, exposure to dangerous heat measured through heat stress combining air temperature and humidity will likely double for populations in the tropics and increase by 3 to 10 times in mid-latitude zones. This heightened exposure is particularly dangerous for the elderly, whose ability to regulate body temperature declines with age.
Heat extremes are placing severe strain on older bodies, increasing the risk of cardiovascular, respiratory, and cerebrovascular conditions such as heart failure, strokes, asthma, and pneumonia. The expanding urban population is compounding this vulnerability, with 58% of people aged 60 and older already living in cities as of 2015 a figure that continues to rise.
To combat these growing threats, the report recommends transforming cities into age-friendly, green, accessible, and climate-resilient spaces. It advocates for better urban planning, including the adoption of the ’15-minute city’ model—where essential services like healthcare, shops, and parks are located within a short walk or cycle. Such design reduces car dependency, lowers emissions, and provides ageing populations with the autonomy to live safely within familiar neighbourhoods.
Investing in real-time weather monitoring systems, strengthening community-based disaster risk management, and ensuring easy access to information are among the key strategies highlighted to help older populations adapt to climate risks.
In a step towards protecting older generations, the UN Human Rights Council earlier this year adopted a resolution to begin work on a legally binding international instrument addressing the rights of older persons, including their protection from climate hazards.
The Frontier report is part of UNEP’s Foresight Trajectory series, which focuses on identifying emerging global environmental concerns. The Weight of Time, the seventh edition in this series, underscores how climate change is no longer a future issue—it is a present danger, especially for the world’s ageing population.