Study Finds Old People Worse for Environment than Young People

[The Straight Story]

Study Finds Old People Worse for Environment than Young People

Baby Boomers are making it harder on the earth than Millennials in terms of contributing to global warming.

Researchers at Germany’s Max Planck Institute, led by Emilio Zagheni, using data from the United States, examined carbon dioxide emissions by age group and found that people in their sixties tend to produce more CO2 than anyone else. This can be attributed to older people having more disposable income, which allows them to travel more and have larger living spaces, all of which indirectly contribute to the release of greenhouse gases.

A person’s CO2 production tends to peak between ages 63 and 65, at nearly 15 tons annually. In contrast, a twenty-something on average contributes about 10 tons a year. After 65, CO2 production declines, as oldsters travel less and even buy fewer new clothes.

http://www.allgov.com/Unusual_News/ViewNews/Study_Finds_Old_People_Worse_for_Environment_than_Young_People_111115

[raccoon]

1. Unrec. Fuel for generational warfare. And of course they focus on boomers, though there are still

many older people who aren't boomers.


And plenty of older people who don't have the do-re-mi to go jetting around the world.

[The Straight Story]

2. Second hand old people, we need to ban em from bars (nt)

[JNelson6563]

3. More divisions.

The more we are divided, the better for them.

[NV Whino]

5. Who're we, and who're them?

[JNelson6563]

12. We are the 99%

Guess who they are?

Sorry for not clarifying in the first post.

Julie

[NV Whino]

4. Recing to counter the unrec

The solution, really is to knock off all the twenty-somethings. Then we won't have to worry about future CO2.

I suppose I'd better put this in. :sarcasm:


This is actually pretty interesting information.

[Fumesucker]

6. Get around a bunch of young people and inhale deeply..

Do the same in a bunch of young people.

Which group would you rather be around?

:evilgrin:

FWIW I'm sixtysomething.

Edited for pucnutation.

[kickysnana]

7. That is not what I see on House Hunters International and other "reality" shows. n/t

[HappyMe]

8. True.

I'm all for smaller living spaces.

[frogmarch]

9. What about

old people who have sleep apnea?

[Mimosa]

10. I've been noticing a pattern of anti-older people 'reports'

Oddly enough I don't now know wealthy older people. Most seem to have some kinds of financial chalenges and live in smallr homes as well as apartments.

[Turbineguy]

11. The GOP has a solution.

Kill them before they get old.

[frazzled]

13. Not this "old" person

Though not quite 63, we're only a couple of years away from it. And I can bet my bottom dollar that we're pretty low on the CO2 scale compared to a lot of younger folks. We drive a Prius, but only take it out one or two times a week (because we now live in the midst of the city in a condo and can walk to groceries, drugstores, etc. and take the bus and train to other places). Compared to the years when we were schlepping kids around to all kinds of lessons and activities daily and living in a less urbanized situation, we have a phenomenally lower carbon footprint with respect to auto usage. We also do one-fifth of the laundry we used to--again, because the kids who throw a pair of jeans down the laundry chute after one wearing, because it's easier than putting them away, no longer live in the house. Ditto for the dishwasher: we run it only once every several days, when it is full. We recycle extensively, and have done so for years. We buy little that comes in heavy packaging; we take our own bags to the supermarket.

This seems to be the case for many of our empty-nester generation. It's hard for me to believe that we have a worse effect on the environment than a 30-something family with three kids. And I'm not blaming them for that. It's just the truth that you're going to drive more, need more lights on in more rooms, use up more water (not to mention diapers) than other people.

And talk about old people. Mr. Frazzle and I were just discussing our own mothers and the the ridiculous lengths they always went to to conserve energy, water, and goods. His mother passed away a few years ago, but mine is still going strong. Products of the Great Depression, they carried their thrifty ways throughout their lives, driving us somewhat crazy in the process. My mother insisted on turning out lights in every room immediately upon leaving and would allow only about two inches of water in the bathtub--you can't waste water! she would aways say to us as we shivered in the tub. His mother would save every piece of tin foil and string and plastic there was, and wash and reuse them. These REALLY old folks knew how to conserve!

[Sabriel]

14. Would sticking them on ice floes make the ice melt faster?

I kid, I kid.

[JDPriestly]

15. I was going to say. Over 65 and emitting and using less than ever.