2. Collabo­ration of seniors the field of climate issues

This section contains a summary of the main groups of seniors in the Nordic countries who have taken climate issues to heart, both formal organisations and informal grassroots movements. The summary is broadly the same as the one that was included in the interim report of the first work component.

Ingibjörg Ólöf Benediktsdóttir and Stefán Gíslason (2023.)

About 5.5 million people live in Norway, of which 18.1% are aged 65 and over according to figures from 2021.

Trading Economics (2021.)

Norwegians are increasingly concerned about climate change, according to a survey for the University of Bergen. The survey has been conducted regularly since 2013, and for the first time in ten years, over 50% of participants aged 63 and over claimed to be "concerned" or "very concerned" about climate change. The results of the survey show that concerns have increased the most among people over sixty.

Besteforeldrenes klimaaksjon (2022.)

Besteforeldrenes klimaaksjon (BKA) is a very large and active organisation that had a total of 6,870 members in January 2023. The organisation was established in 2006 and has grown year by year since then. Members pay membership fees to cover the salaries of staff members that supply general maintenance and organise educational efforts and events.

Besteforeldrenes klimaaksjon (2023.)

In Norway, environmental protection organisations receive funding from the state, if they have 5,000 or more paid members. This means that BKA now receives an annual contribution from the Norwegian state.

BKA has 17 local groups in Norway from Alta and Tromsø in northern Norway, in Bergen on the west coast and down to Kristiansand in the south. These groups are very active and have set up information booths around the country, where group members reach out to people, provide them with information and seek out new members.

BKA have a very clear strategy and by collecting a membership fee the organisation can put money into marketing and the various issues they want to support. Among other things, the organisation wants to promote a lifestyle that leads to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The organisation wants the Norwegian government to guarantee that the citizens will be involved in the solution to the climate crisis (as stated in Article 12 of the Paris Agreement,) that the use of fossil fuels will be reduced, and that all oil and gas exploration off the coast of Norway will be stopped and production halted. On the organisation's website, you can find educational materials about environmental and climate issues, information about subgroups of the organisation from around Norway and reports from the annual and national board meetings that have been held.

BKA is part of a European network of seniors involved in climate issues (see below.)

The Norwegian nature conservation association Norges naturvernforbund operates a youth group for the younger members of the association, but currently there is no work being done that targets the association’s oldest members. Nonetheless, seniors play a prominent role within the association, as older people tend to have more free time to devote to voluntary work.

Naturvernforbundet (2023.)

Sweden has a population of approximately 10.2 million, of which 20.2% are 65 years old and over, according to figures from the year 2022.

Knoema (2022d.)

Swedes are very aware of climate issues and have increasing concerns about climate change and its consequences. Two out of three residents of Sweden are of the opinion that politicians need to do more to limit climate change, and more than half of the population feel that a cap needs to be placed on total greenhouse gas emissions in Sweden. The concerns of older residents (65–79 years old) have seen a notable increase in recent years, but around 63% of them say they think about climate change and the effects of greenhouse gas emissions at least once a week.

Gustaf Lind (2022.)

Many environmental and climate groups are active in Sweden and many such groups have been founded in the last year.

Sofie Björck (2022.)

Climate change awareness seems to be rising steadily, among both younger and older Swedes, this is likely partially due to the influence of Greta Thunberg. What started as a one-person strike in 2018 has today developed into Fridays for Future, a global social movement focusing on climate issues and climate action. Many of these groups share the same ideology and meet on Fridays to protest climate change and government inaction.

Gretas Gamlingar is an environmental protection organisation of seniors, with 1,300–2,500 members. The name of the organisation refers to Greta Thunberg and its members wish to emphasise the shared priorities in climate issues for people of all ages. The organisation participates in a variety of activities to raise awareness of the climate crisis and to fight for improvements. Gretas Gamlingar are involved in Fridays for Future, where they meet once a week and protest the inaction of politicians on climate issues.

Gretas Gamlingar (2023.)

The Swedish organisation Grandparents for Future was initially founded as a Facebook group but, as of December 2018, had around 850 members. The group is informal and has no board, a registry of its members or independent funding. Members host a range of events, both online and in the real world, including “coaching”, demonstrations, miscellaneous lectures, and educational efforts. The group believes that the words grandpa and grandma have a special value to underline the responsibility older generations have for the world that their descendants will inherit and inhabit. People can take full part in the organisation, regardless of whether they have grandchildren of their own. Grandparents for Future support Greta Thunberg and Fridays for Future.

Grandparents for Future (2023.)

Grand Panthers are an organisation that protests climate inaction once a month. The organisation does not have a single leader, instead people take turns leading on a rotating basis. Since the organisation does not have a permit to protest, people protest individually or in small groups. Group members attempt to meet with politicians as often as possible to share their concerns about climate issues. They share a network with KlimatSverige, Fridays for Future, Klimatsvaret and Våra barns klimat, which are all organisations that advocate for climate action. Grand Panthers is also part of a European network of seniors asserting themselves on this issue (see below.)

Grand Panthers (2022.)

Grandmas for Future has approximately 20 members in Katrineholm, in Södermanland, southwest of Stockholm. Members of the group feel that striking for the climate is important due to inaction on behalf of the political establishment to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. They think it's wonderful that there are strikes all over the world, but they also want to show the same effort at home in Katrineholm. They focus on protesting in their hometown, in order to reduce the carbon footprint of long journeys.

Grandmas for Future (2022.)

Finland has a population of over 5.5 million, of which 23.3% are aged 65 and over, according to figures from 2022.

Knomea (2022b.)

In a climate survey conducted by the European Investment Bank in 2021, it was found that 73% of Finns aged 65 and over believe that climate change and its consequences are humanity's biggest challenge in the 21st century. Approximately 49% of respondents believed that they were more concerned about the climate situation than the country's government. Furthermore, 49% believed that the country will fail to reduce its carbon emissions by 95% by 2050,

European Investment Bank (2021.)

in accordance with the parameters of the Paris Agreement.

Ympäristöministeriö (á.á..)

Around 70% of those who participated in the survey said they were in favour of stricter measures by the government to induce changes in people's behaviour (7% more than in a similar survey the previous year.)

European Investment Bank (2021.)

Ilmastoisovanhemmat (e. Grandparents for Future) is an organisation that monitors climate action within Finland and internationally. This is a formal organisation with an appointed board and a chairman, secretary, interpreters, etc. The organisation's purpose is to work to reduce climate change and protect biodiversity, as well as to promote an ethical, eco-friendly, and equal society. They also want to support the activities of children and young people and promote intergenerational justice.

Ilmastoisovanhemmat disseminate information on climate change, initiate community discussions, organise protests and events of various kinds, and collaborate with other organisations and parties that aim for the same goals. The organisation runs a blog and has a book club that meets online every month and discusses the book of the month, which always deals with environmental issues. The organisation also organises various kinds of protests where they have signs in six languages. Among other things, they meet and protests every Friday outside the Finnish Parliament. The organisation publishes an international newsletter in English, at least three times a year, with coverage of what similar organisations in Europe are doing. The organisation encourages politicians to make positive legal changes on climate issues and is very active on the major social media platforms. A great deal of effort has been put into international cooperation and raising awareness in other countries.

Ilmastoisovanhemmat (2023.)

In line with that, Ilmastoisovanhemmat is part of a European network of seniors actively engaging with climate issues (see below.)

Aktivistimummot (e. Activist Grannies) is a network of Finnish grandmothers (and some grandfathers) whose goal is to fight climate change and protect nature, with the aim of building a better future for their own grandchildren and other grandchildren of the planet. This is not a public organisation, it has no membership registers, charges no membership fees and operates entirely on a voluntary basis.

A few grandmothers got together in 2019 and founded Aktivistimummot. A growing, multidisciplinary group of grandmothers is working towards the goal of the group and the specific sub-themes (#wisdom and #hope) defined by the founding grandmothers. The group organises various events and puts a lot of focus on education on the group's website, Facebook page, and Twitter. A leadership group of fifteen to twenty people organises and coordinates the group's activities. The group has thousands of followers on Facebook. The group's website states that they consider themselves "lucky to be living in a country with the best education in the world and therefore also the most educated grandmothers in the world".

Aktivistimummot (2023.)

Denmark has a population of approximately 5.8 million, of which 20.5% are aged 65 and over, according to figures from 2022.

Knoema (2022a.)

Sustainability seems to be very important to older generations of Danes. In a survey of over 1,000 Danes aged 60 and over, it was found that over 60% are very interested in climate issues and sustainability and would like to contribute to reducing pollution. About 76% of respondents were concerned about the impact of climate change on future generations.

Line Marie Sommer (2021.)

Bedsteforældrenes Klimaaktion is a grassroot and activist movement, which brings together mature people aged 50+, who are concerned about the kind of world they are leaving for future generations. The movement seeks to spread the word about the right climate decisions and pressure politicians to take responsibility and push for a quick and effective green transition. The group meets regularly in nine cities across Denmark, where they gather to protest climate change, as well as take part in courses and educational efforts on climate issues and stage various events.

Bedsteforældrenes Klimaaktion (2023.)

Sammen om verdensmål is a project of 30 libraries in Denmark that aims to engage people over 60 to work for the benefit of the United Nations' Global Sustainable Development Goals. The project is financed by the VELUX FONDEN, was launched in February 2021 and will conclude in December 2023. Activities are offered at selected libraries where residents can help develop ideas and solutions in their own town that fall under the Sustainable Development Goals. The aim of the activity is for the participants to become active participants in creating a local impact, based around the Sustainable Development Goals. The project is also designed to increase the well-being and quality of life of the target group, where people can use their own talents in new company, while the project is intended to promote the active and community-creating role of people aged 60 and over.

Sammen om verdensmål (2021.)

The project has received a lot of positive attention in Denmark and two detailed manuals have been written for library staff on how to involve people in different types of projects for the benefit of the Sustainable Development Goals. Both manuals can easily be used by people outside the libraries.

The population of Iceland in 2022 was approximately 388,000, according to Statistics Iceland. Of these, 15.3% were aged 65 and over.

Knoema (2022c.)

This group is gradually becoming more prominent in the climate debate. In Gallup's Environmental Survey in 2022, participants were asked whether they were very, somewhat, slightly, or not concerned about global warming. About 73% of respondents aged 67 and over said they were very or somewhat concerned about global warming, and 47% said they were concerned about the consequences that climate change could have on them and their families. In comparison, 79% of respondents in the age group 30–44 said they were very or somewhat concerned about global warming, and 62% in that age group said they were very concerned about the consequences that climate change could have on them and their families. Furthermore, 56% of people aged 67 and over said they were willing to change their behaviour very much or quite a lot in order to reduce their impact on the environment and climate.

GALLUP (2022.)

From these results it is evident that a large proportion of older people in Iceland is aware of climate change and considers the impacts they themselves can have and what the future of their families may look like.

There are no organisations or groups for seniors active in Iceland, dedicated to climate change, but a special environmental group was recently established within U3A in Iceland (University of the Third Age) that deals with climate and other environmental issues. Climate issues are also a topic of conversation in other groups of seniors.

The University of the Third Age (U3A) in Iceland is an independent, non-profit organisation that can be traced to the preparation and participation of Ingibjörg Rannveig Guðlaugsdóttir to take part in the World U3A international conference in Chitrakoot, India in 2010. The organisation in Iceland (U3A Reykjavík) was founded in 2012 and has around 1,300 members today. In accordance with its Articles of Association, the organisation intends to promote members’ access to a diverse range of education without it being classified as formal schooling. The organisation also wants to promote activity and increased awareness among members, and society at large, about the importance of the third age, the opportunities it contains and the human resources that it contains. The education is mostly based on peer education where members of the organisation share knowledge, experience, and skills. The organisation intends to achieve its purpose, i.e. by organising and managing lectures, trips, and visits, as well as by fostering connections with others inside and outside the U3A movement worldwide.

University of the Third Age

A special environmental group was established within U3A Reykjavík in the fall of 2022 and has held quite a few meetings since then. The environmental group maintains an active Facebook page and has staged two seminars to date. The subject of one of them was Iceland's nature and its protection in times of climate change, and the other was on biodiversity and sustainability. The goal of the environmental group is to educate and inform people about threats to Iceland's nature and its terrestrial ecosystems, freshwater ecosystems, oceanic ecosystems and geosites; as well as to draw attention to ways we can protect the environment and nature and take actions that can improve the environment and combat climate change. Members are also encouraged to actively engage with environmental issues, and the group publishes words of encouragement and advice on how to lead a more environmentally sustainable way of life.

While U3A Reykjavík has not applied itself specifically to climate issues, the above shows how climate issues are interwoven in various ways into the activities of the organisation's environmental group.

The National Federation of Senior Citizens (”Landssamband eldri borgara”, LEB) is an independent umbrella organisation that includes 55 senior citizen associations in Iceland, with a total of around 30,000 members. The organisation promotes the collaboration of senior citizen associations and that for such associations to be active in all Icelandic municipalities.

The National Federation of Senior Citizens (2021.)

LEB has not focused specifically on environmental issues, but the organisation participated in an environmental project in 2019, that received funding from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and smaller grants from other parties. This campaign was in the form of three trailers that were shown on television, on websites, and on web media. The trailers encouraged people to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags, not to dispose of medical products in the trash or the drain, and to go out and pick up litter.

While preparing this summary, several senior citizen associations affiliated with LEB were contacted nationwide to investigate whether environmental issues had been a specific focus of their agenda. None of the member associations that were contacted stated that they had focused on environmental issues as a specific subject category, except for one association, where several speakers had been hired to give presentations on environmental issues, and the new chairman intended to make climate and environmental issues a greater priority.

Friends of Icelandic Nature (”Vinir íslenskrar náttúru”, VÍN) is a non-profit organisation.

Friends of Icelandic Nature (2022.)

The purpose of the organisation is to discuss current nature conservation issues in Iceland, with a special emphasis on the harmful effects of invasive and alien species, as well as to formulate proposals for improvements. The organisation stages meetings, organises actions for nature conservation, and disseminates information to the public, through mass media and on its website, about the negative effects of alien species on the ecosystem and the aesthetics of Icelandic nature. The organisation also provides consultation on plans, such as proposed amendments and drafts of regulations relating to nature conservation. The organisation promotes the provision of accurate and reliable information, such as regarding carbon sequestration and carbon units. Furthermore, the organisation emphasises the use of international certification systems in carbon sequestration, with recognised conditions and criteria that simultaneously take Icelandic conditions into account. The organisation is not exclusively for older people, but many its founding members and columnist for the Friends of Icelandic Nature are university-educated retirees.

The Faroe Islands have a population of approximately 54,000, of which 17.9% are aged 65 and over, according to figures from 2021.

The Global Economy (2021.)

When preparing this summary, no information was available about senior organisations on climate issues in the Faroe Islands. The association of senior citizens (Landsfelag Pensjónista) was contacted, where it was confirmed that none of their groups had climate issues on their agenda. Certainly, there are older people who are active in environmental issues within nature conservation organisations, but these are not special organisations or groups for the age group in question here.

The Faroe Islands Nature and Environment Association (Føroya Náttúru- og Umhvørvisfelag) has so far not catered specifically to this age group, but in relation to the project in question, it became clear that the organisation is very interested in creating such a group.

Representatives of both organisations (Landsfelag Pensjónista and Føroya Náttúru- og Umhvørvisfelag) took an active part in a seminar held in Reykjavík in September 2023, within the framework of the project being discussed in this report, (see Section 4.) Email communication following the seminar, revealed that preparations had begun for the establishment of "Bedsteforældrenes Klimaaktion" in the Faroe Islands.

Information from Landsfelag Pensjonista, dated 6 October, 2023.

Greenland has a population of approximately 56,000, of which approximately 9.8% are aged 65 and over, according to figures from 2023.

Statista (2023.)

In connection with the project in question, the National Association of Seniors in Greenland was contacted, as well as officials in Greenland who handle Nordic cooperation on the topic of environmental and social issues. Despite the help of those parties, no evidence was found that Greenlanders of retirement age had formed groups around climate issues.

Over 30,000 people live in Åland. Although data about the age division of that region is not available, one may estimate that the percentage of the population that is 65 and over is similar to that of the other Nordic countries. Åland has long been ahead of its time in environmental matters. In 2018, the Åland government set a goal of a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, in comparison to 2005

Medium (2020.)

. The Åland government has also set an aim to become sustainable by 2051, largely with the help of wind turbines and hydrogen-powered ferries. When preparing this summary, no information was found about senior organisations on climate issues in Åland. The senior association in Maríuhöfn, the capital of the Åland, was contacted but no conclusion was reached.