Old, Yet Green–the Prioritization of the Future of Youth in Older-Age-Based Environmental Movements

This content-based research examines a) how older-age-based environmental movements position and present themselves in relation to older and younger generations, and b) how they frame issues of capability, responsibility, and social justice within intergenerational dynamics. Based on qualitative content research of the “About Us” webpage and the visual content of seven older-age-based environmental movements, the findings suggest that while the movements exhibited visibility and agency through words and contents related to wisdom, experience, strength, dedication, commitment, and greater notions of social justice, they also simultaneously exhibited lack of self-concern and transparency by focusing on future-oriented concerns, overlooking older persons’ vulnerability to climate change, exhibiting hyper-sense of responsibility, and a secondary positioning in relation to youth environmental movements. The findings are discussed from the prism of intergenerational relations.