Longevity and the Environment: Can an Aging Planet Be Sustainable?

Aging well does not depend only on our bodies. It also depends on the air we breathe, the environment we live in, and the planet we share. In a world that is aging and heating up at the same time, questions about sustainability and longevity can no longer be addressed separately.

An inevitable intersection: aging and climate change

For years, population aging and environmental degradation were considered parallel but separate phenomena: one demographic, the other ecological. Today, that separation no longer makes sense. The way we age is conditioned by the environment in which we do so, and the planet’s health depends, in part, on how long-lived societies reorganize their priorities, their spaces, and their lifestyles.

In Japan, for example, cities are adapting their emergency management plans to the growing proportion of older people, aware that typhoons and heat waves affect those with reduced mobility more severely. In Denmark, urban planning combines energy efficiency with intergenerational housing to reduce isolation and resource consumption.

The demographic transition and the ecological transition not only occur at the same time—they are deeply intertwined. Longevity needs livable environments. The environment requires decisions with a long-term, intergenerational vision. In the end, both issues speak of the same thing: caring.

Toxic urbanism or caring cities

More than 60% of older people in Europe live in cities. However, many urban environments are still designed according to logics that conflict with health, equity, and age: excessive traffic, heat islands, air pollution, lack of shade, architectural barriers, inefficient housing.

In Paris, a municipal study revealed that temperatures can vary by up to 7°C between tree-lined neighborhoods and densely built areas without vegetation—something crucial in extreme summers. In Vitoria-Gasteiz, the “green belt” network not only protects biodiversity but also offers cool, walkable spaces that improve the quality of life for older people.

In long-lived societies, urban planning cannot ignore the aging body. Ramps and elevators are not enough: we need walkable neighborhoods, tree cover to lower temperatures, accessible transportation, shaded benches, and common spaces without mandatory consumption. Designing for healthy aging also means designing for more sustainable living.

Environmental health, collective health

Air pollution is one of the main environmental threats to health, and its effects are more severe at the extremes of life: childhood and old age. Older people carry decades of exposure to pollutants and are more vulnerable to their consequences: cardiovascular, pulmonary, and neurodegenerative diseases.

In Madrid, it has been observed that during episodes of high pollution, hospital admissions for respiratory problems increase by 12% among people over 65. In London, the “School Streets” campaign has reduced pollution and noise in school areas, also benefiting older nearby residents.

But it is not only about nitrogen dioxide or microparticles: we are also talking about noise, thermal stress, and loss of nature—factors that directly affect rest, mental health, and physical well-being.

A longevity with meaning requires guaranteed environmental health. And conversely, protecting our environment is also protecting the old age we will live.

Intergenerational ecological justice

One of the most urgent ethical challenges of the 21st century is intergenerational justice: balancing the interests of current generations with the rights of future ones—and doing so without pitting them against each other.
In Germany, the “Generations Garden” program brings young and older people together to cultivate community gardens, combining environmental education and social cohesion. In Portugal, coastal communities have adapted early warning systems against storms that include support networks for older people living alone.

Sometimes environmental discourse falls into the temptation of opposing “young activists” to “indifferent elders,” as if age were a barrier to commitment. But there is another story to tell: that of many older people who were pioneers in environmentalism, or who live with a minimal ecological footprint by culture, not by trend.

At the same time, it is also fair to recognize that the older population needs protection from the effects of climate change. Heat waves take a greater toll on those whose health is already weakened. Natural disasters affect more those with reduced mobility, lower incomes, or who live alone.

The answer does not lie in generational conflict, but in mutual care as a guiding principle—and in building policies that integrate all ages into the ecological transformation, not only as beneficiaries, but as protagonists.

A longevity that cares for the planet

Aging well in the 21st century can no longer be separated from the state of the planet. Housing, food, mobility, energy consumption, health infrastructure… everything is crossed by the double condition of being sustainable and long-lived.

In Barcelona, the “Superilles” (superblocks) plan reduces traffic, increases green spaces, and prioritizes pedestrian transit, with a positive impact on health and well-being—especially among older people. In Iceland, energy efficiency programs have allowed pensioner households to reduce heating costs and their carbon footprint.

We must ask ourselves: are we designing environments for young bodies and fast-paced lifestyles? Or are we building a future in which it is possible to live long, and live well, without compromising the common good?
Longevity cannot be an individual privilege at the expense of the collective environment, nor a silent sacrifice. If we want more people to live longer, we must ensure that those years unfold on a planet still capable of sustaining life.

What ecological legacy do we want to leave to those who will grow old tomorrow?