Climatic determinants of the attraction of older population groups; the most significant environmental variables: some ideas.

Climate can be understood as the permanent environment enjoyed by a living being in a geographical space. For human beings, it is also the set of atmospheric situations perceived and experienced over a prolonged period of time and which respond to different causes depending on the geographical location of a social group. From the point of view of human perception, there are as many climates as there are ways of understanding the sensations generated by atmospheric elements (temperatures, precipitation, pressure, wind, humidity, etc.). Hence the need to establish criteria and thresholds to characterise the different climatic varieties that occur on the earth's surface. We speak of cold or hot climates, rainy or dry climates, as a fundamental division of climatic types; and within them, by virtue of the numerical ranges that temperatures or precipitation acquire, more detailed divisions are established.

And to this is added the acceptance or preference of some climatic features over others by human beings who consider them more suitable for their vital needs or their own physiological constitution. In this way, the climate becomes a factor of attraction or repulsion for human beings in their search for a state of well-being or comfort within the environment in which they live.

Climate is a factor of attraction or repulsion for human beings in their search for a state of well-being or comfort

The characteristics of the climate in a territory are, therefore, an important element in the decision to establish economic activities or permanent housing and temporary displacements for economic, tourist, residential and health purposes. The existence of a climate with comfortable features in its basic elements (temperatures, humidity, winds, pressure and rainfall) explains the attraction produced in some geographical areas compared to others that lack such comfort. There are, therefore, climates that are more attractive than others when it comes to establishing a residence or seeking a temporary retreat.

The human body can function correctly at a thermal threshold of between 15 and 25ºC. Above these values, an external contribution of heat or cold is required, the intensity of which will depend on the physiology of each individual. However, these thermal ranges are joined by two basic factors for the sensation of comfort, humidity and wind, whose combination with temperature gives rise to real thermal sensation values in living beings.

It can be said that there is a comfortable climate according to the nature of human beings. The elderly, due to their physiological needs, demand a series of climatic requirements for their living comfort and are particularly sensitive to changes in the daily atmospheric conditions of a place. The attached table summarises the climatic and atmospheric conditions of attraction for the elderly population.

Due to their physiological needs, older people require a number of climatic requirements for their living comfort and are particularly sensitive to changes in the daily atmospheric conditions of a place

Table 1.-Climate and atmospheric comfort ranges and criteria for older people

Prepared by the authors

For older people, the climate, as a factor of attraction, is at the origin of the following social behaviours:

-Travelling for tourism purposes

-Searching for suitable places for permanent or seasonal residence.

-Health tourism practices

-Sun and bathing tourism, in relation to coastal areas with warm waters

-Stays in mountain areas, in search of cool thermal conditions in warm seasons.

Another aspect to highlight is the different attractiveness of climatic features depending on the time of year; this is especially sensitive for older people who, as has been pointed out, do not tolerate sudden changes in the climatic conditions of a place well and, when possible, seek areas of greater comfort. In Spain, it is possible to establish the following classification of seasonal climatic attraction suitable for the elderly in the large climatic groups (see figure 1). In the Cantabrian and Pyrenees area, features of climatic comfort are found in summer; in the inland areas of the peninsula, in spring; in the Guadalquivir depression, in autumn; on the Mediterranean coast, in winter; and in the Canary archipelago, due to its climatic singularity, practically all year round it enjoys comfortable conditions for the elderly.

Figure 1.-Seasonal climate attraction suitable for the elderly. Prepared by the authors.

The current process of climate change is no longer a matter of belief but of scientific evidence and will have different regional effects depending on the climatic region affected. In Spain, a significant impact on economic activities and social patterns is estimated

In addition to the current climatic conditions, for the purposes of planning activities and services for society, the changes that global warming will bring in the coming decades must be taken into account. This is a global phenomenon, with

This is a global phenomenon, with important implications for our country, as it is an area of contact between major planetary climatic areas (subtropical and temperate). Indeed, the current process of climate change has ceased to be a matter of belief and has become a matter of evidence, of scientific evidence. It is a process backed by scientific data, which is becoming more and more conclusive and which will have different regional effects depending on the climatic region affected. In Spain, a significant impact on economic activities and social patterns is estimated (Figure 2).

Figure 2.-Relationship between climate change and economic activities in Spain. Prepared by the authors.

Broadly speaking, the anthropogenic greenhouse effect climate change we are currently experiencing will lead to an increase in temperature, albeit with regional and seasonal variations, as shown in Table 2. To this must be added the variations in the amount and seasonality of precipitation, and the greater warmth of the sea waters in some maritime sectors of our country, especially in the Mediterranean, which will alter the areas and seasonality of climatic comfort and, therefore, the attraction features of the territories in relation to their atmospheric conditions.

Table 2.-Changes in climatic attraction due to climate change in Spain.

Prepared by the authors.

In addition to this, there will be a greater frequency of extreme weather events (heat, cold, wind) which, as part of the adaptation measures to be carried out by the administrations, should make it necessary to adapt the health and civil protection services (warnings) in order to minimise their effects, especially on the elderly population group in southern Europe. This aspect has been pointed out in the "Peseta" report by the European Commission's Join Research Center, which has included, in its latest version (4th edition), a projection of the impact on the welfare state of the countries of the European Union with a horizon of 2100 for projected average temperature increases of 1.5, 2 and 3ºC at the end of the century. It is noteworthy that for the first time it includes a thermal rise projection of up to 3ºC, a higher threshold (2ºC) than that established in the Paris Agreement of 2014.  (Feyen et al., 2020) (Figure 3).

The increased frequency of extreme weather events (heat, cold, wind) should make it necessary, as part of the adaptation measures to be carried out by administrations, to adapt health and civil protection services.

Figure 3.-Welfare changes in European regions, as a percentage of GDP, for scenarios of a temperature rise of 3ºC (horizon 2100).

Source: JRC PESETA IV Project (Feyen et al. 2020).

Annex: Climatic attraction in the border area between Portugal and Castilla-León.

The border area between Portugal and Castilla-León has an inland climate marked by continentalised thermal features, with cold winters and hot but not torrid summers, depending on the annual weather conditions. Precipitation is moderate and relative humidity values are normal.

There are 3 features of climatic-environmental attraction of this area for groups of older people:

-Pleasant springs, as the season of the year with the greatest climatic attraction.

-Abundant water resources, guarantee of supply.

-Landscape resources.

In a large part of the cross-border area of Spain and Portugal, given the changes in climatic conditions in the coming decades, the promotion of the spring season as a period of activities for the elderly population should focus the efforts of the administrations in relation to leisure and tourism trips

With a view to adapting to changes in climatic conditions in the coming decades, the promotion of the spring season as a period of activities for the elderly population should focus the efforts of the administrations in relation to leisure and tourism trips (taking advantage of landscape resources, as well as heritage and cultural resources) that can be programmed in this territory.

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

-AEMA (2012) Los impactos del cambio climático en Europa: evaluación basada en indicadores. Informe conjunto de la AEMA, CCI y OMS. Oficina de Publicaciones de la CE y Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Medio Rural y Marino, Madrid, 240 p.  

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