[Resource] Championing Older Adults for Leadership in Environmental Sustainability and Climate Empowerment (COALESCE)

COALESCE (Championing Older Adults for Leadership in Environmental Sustainability and Climate Empowerment) is a community-driven research project that places older adults at the centre of climate action in Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

As climate change intensifies, seniors are among the most affected, facing higher health risks from events like extreme heat, poor air quality, and flooding. COALESCE responds to these challenges by partnering with seniors, researchers, industry and regulatory bodies and local organizations to build age-friendly, climate-resilient communities.

Why It Matters

Older adults are often excluded from climate discussions - but their voices, insights, and leadership are crucial. COALESCE works alongside seniors as citizen science co-researchers, supporting them to collect data, analyze risks, and co-create practical solutions for adapting to climate change.

What We Do

• Partner with local senior centres to identify seniors’ priorities and everyday climate challenges.
• Train seniors and students to collaborate as intergenerational research teams.
• Pilot tools like home sensors to help seniors monitor indoor climate conditions.
• Co-develop educational toolkits and hold workshops that share knowledge and empower communities.
• Engage municipal governments, industry, and community groups to influence policy and support climate-resilient Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCCs).
• Build an international Community of Practice to exchange knowledge across global contexts.
• Collaborate with engineering firms (RDH) to advance building science and with regulatory bodies to improve home safety in the use of electric and gas devices.

Our Values

Grounded in climate justice, COALESCE prioritizes health equity, social inclusion, and the lived experiences of older people. We use an intersectional lens to understand how age, gender, income, and place shape climate vulnerability—and resilience.

The COALESCE project is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) through its Catalyst Grant for Community-Based Research in Climate Change.

This funding enables our collaborative work with seniors, researchers, and community organizations to explore how climate change affects older adults and to co-develop solutions that improve health, resilience, and inclusion. It supports activities such as citizen science training, community workshops, policy engagement, and the development of educational resources.

On the website you will find a resource library, and research reports coming soon.

Visit Website: https://www.sfu.ca/coalesce/home.html