These greater extremes of climate are particularly likely to affect older people, and by 2031 the over-50s are expected to make up 40 per cent of the UK population, compared to 33 per cent today.

Researchers say that not only are the over-50s likely to be more vulnerable to the direct and indirect impacts of changing climate, and that this will pose a challenge in terms of policy-making in the future, but they also contribute more than any other age group to the causes of those climate changes.

A carbon footprint analysis carried out recently showed that, on average, baby boomers have a carbon footprint of 13.5 tonnes and emit 1.5 to 2.5 tonnes more carbon dioxide a year, compared with the average of 12 tonnes.

This is partly because people at the older end of the spectrum, the over-75s, use more home heating, which is carbon intensive. That heating represents 40 per cent of their carbon footprint.

The fact that older people are more vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, are a key cause of climate change, but that they also have the knowledge and experience that can help to tackle the problem, are on the agenda at a climate change workshop to be held in York tomorrow.

It's the first national event to address the impact of climate change on an ageing population, says organiser Gary Haq, researcher on lifestyle and climate change at York University's Stockholm Environment Institute.

"Our studies of heatwaves and floods show that, as a demographic group, older people are less resilient physically and emotionally in dealing with extremes of weather. There are a number of factors at play here – with increasing age involves loss of income, social support networks and mobility for many.

"Emotionally they can find it hard to cope with disruption to their lives brought by events like flooding, where their familiar environment may be damaged and they may be uprooted for
a time.

"At the same time, they are a group who represent the first age of consumerism, enjoying travel, cars and labour-saving appliances. They are now reshaping older age and enjoying life, possibly with second homes.

"They are moving towards retirement and may consume less, but their values stay the same and they still want to enjoy themselves. There's no doubt that, 20 or 30 years ago, people in their 60s were a lot more frugal," says Dr Haq.

Tomorrow's workshop brings together leading environmental speakers and those involved with the older population from different angles, including health, government and charitable organisations.

It's hoped that their brainstorming discussions will result in recommendations which could help to shape policy and forward planning for how our increasingly older population will deal with climate change. Although there are individual government initiatives in hand such as the Heatwave Plan, experts say there is no coherent overall strategy for how we will deal with increased climate change.

On the housing front, research showed that almost a third of us are willing to pay more for a home that has been built to suit old age or "future-proofed", and 23 per cent would pay up to £10,000 more. An optimistic 92 per cent envisage staying in their own homes for the rest of their lives, but more than a quarter admit they fear being forced into a care home in later life.

Charities like Help the Aged believe such studies highlight the need for Government to focus on creating well-insulated, fuel-efficient "lifetime homes" which are easy to access and live in and enable older people to remain independent for as long as possible.

While older people are likely to be less well and need to live in warmer homes much of the time, the need to be able to cool homes in future periods of heatwave is now also part of the discussion.

In its recent report, Towards Common Ground: climate change and an ageing population, Help the Aged argued that it was time the Government also linked the agendas of ageing and climate change, saying many of the policies which could be used to tackle climate change, such as personal carbon accounts and better public transport to cut car use, could bring real benefits to older people.

"Our workshop is a way of raising all the issues that need to be raised and tied together, but obviously there are no easy answers to a set of very complex problems," says Mervyh Kohler, special adviser to Help
the Aged.

"We need to consider that current targets for energy efficiency in homes is too low, and need to be ramped up. We must look at the efficiency of our mechanisms for recycling, which are too 'clunky' and difficult for an older person to negotiate – for example the sorting of items for different bins.

"There's also an education job to be done, one which I believe will mostly fall on willing ears. Older people tend to fall into one of two categories: those who say 'I'll be gone soon, so why bother?' and others who say they would love to do what they can to improve the state of the planet as part of their inheritance to future generations and want to know more about how they can do it.

"Information and discussion can make more people feel they are part of the solution to the ill-effects of climate change, by changing their ways and cutting down their carbon footprint, and also encouraging others to do likewise. Of course there will always be people who think they've worked hard all their lives and deserve to carry on in the way they always have in terms of consumption."

Mr Kohler also believes that others in each community should be more responsive to the needs of the older person when extremes of climate
do strike.

"We need to help them to respect and respond to climate change by adapting habits temporarily. For instance, we could walk the dog for them on an icy or extremely wet day. We could check that older relatives, friends and neighbours are doing the things they should
to combat the cold in their homes, from organising good insulation to moving around enough to aid circulation, wearing more layers and drinking hot drinks.

"As a group, older people are the must vulnerable to climate change, and we should all be aware of it."

The toll of climate change

The rapid rise in temperatures in August 2003 resulted in the death of 2,139 older people in England and Wales

A review of the effects of June 2007 floods showed that older people were less able to cope with the consequences of flooding

By 2012, there is a high risk that 3,000 people in the South-East of England could die from heat exposure

A 3C temperature rise could cause a 14.5 per cent annual increase (14,000 people) in food poisoning as a result of salmonella

The number of people at high risk of flooding is set to rise from 1.5m to 3.5m by 2100