Intergenerational climate conversations take centre stage for Global Intergenerational Week 2025

A Welsh research project has been bridging generational perspectives to encourage a better understanding and collective action about the climate. The OPTIC project, which explores older and younger people's views on climate change, has credited ENRICH Cymru with helping connect researchers to care homes - ensuring the voices of older generations are not only heard but valued in shaping future climate solutions.

Intergenerational perspectives on climate change

Funded through the Healthy Ageing Social, Behavioural and Design Research Programme (SBDRP) and supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the OPTIC study set out to look at how climate change affects people’s daily lives across older and younger people. Through workshops, participants shared their thoughts, concerns and hopes, with findings captured in a bilingual Climate Comic, illustrated by Laura Sorvala.

The comic provides a conversation starter, highlighting both generational differences and shared concerns about the environment. The research team are now developing an intergenerational activity pack designed to inspire further dialogue and action.

Bringing care homes into the conversation

The research team wanted to make sure different generations were included, so the team worked with ENRICH Cymru to connect with three care homes: Haulfryn Care, Ysguborwen Care Home, and Llys Cyncoed Care Home. This has ensured the lived experiences of older people are included in shaping future climate strategies.

Idea sessions across schools, care homes and community groups were held which generated ideas to feed into a prototype activity pack. This pack was used to gather feedback from children and care home residents which fed into the design of the final pack.

Building solidarity across generations

Dr Merryn Thomas, OPTIC project lead, spoke about the importance of intergenerational collaboration:

“It is essential to understand older and younger people’s climate change perspectives, so that living, working and recreational environments can be shaped and managed effectively for health, wellbeing and sustainability in the future.

“We couldn’t have progressed onto this next stage without the help of ENRICH Cymru.

“Older people are sometimes described as not caring as much about climate change, however that hasn’t been the case in our research, and we have found a lot of solidarity between age groups in our research.

“We’ve seen lovely relationships flourish. For example, one Year 6 boy (aged ten) sat and talked with a care home resident for over an hour about climate change and learning from experiences of coal mining and World War Two.”

Dr Deb Morgan, Research Manager for ENRICH Cymru, said:

“This is our bread and butter not only supporting researchers in their work but connecting them with older people living in care homes.

“This type of activity is enriching for the residents; they are showing how important their perspectives are but also engaging in conversation with new people from different ages and backgrounds. We’re looking forward to seeing the intergenerational activity pack develop and the conversations about climate change continue.”

Looking ahead

As Global Intergenerational Week 2025 highlights projects that promote understanding between generations, the OPTIC project is an example of how climate discussions can bridge age divides, foster solidarity, and lead to real-world impact.

The Climate Comic is freely downloadable, offering a creative way for people to engage with climate change conversation.

For those interested in shaping the future of intergenerational climate discussions, the research team welcomes involvement via optic@swansea.ac.uk, while ENRICH Cymru continues to support research partnerships with care homes across Wales.