consequences of aging population. For instance, the most advanced country of the
United Kingdom has already taken precautionary measures to mitigate the potential
impact of environment to anticipate by these demographic trends, particularly the
increasing number of older people in total. In this regard, the Royal Commission on
Environmental Pollution in the UK has found that, if people have more years of
active life that will potentially have a greater environmental impact. Older people
and particularly those over the age of 75, on average, contribute disproportionately
to carbon emissions from heating their homes, etc. This is because they spend a
greater amount of time at home and feel the cold more intensely. Further, there is
growing body of evidence to show that the potential environmental impact of
residues of pharmaceuticals released into the environment by excretion or disposal
particularly by the elderly is greater as they use more medicines than younger
people. And now a similar situation is evident in India. For example, as per 2001
census, India had 49.10 million people in 65+ age group which increased to
90 million (7.43 %) in 2011. And by the year 2050, their number is expected to
reach 315 million, constituting about 20 % of the total population. Hence, it is
considered that the increasing number of older people in the country will be a
potential source of environmental effects in the future.
In this regard, an effort has been done to understand the role of fertility and
changing age structure population across southern states of India focusing the
elderly population in Table 1. The TFR decline was evident in all four southern
states of India during the last two decades. Interestingly, a decline of 1.6 in
Karnataka has resulted in an increase of about 3 % in the proportion of aging
population during 30 years. Surprisingly, the absolute TFR decline was very low in
Kerala (0.9), but it has resulted in significant increase in the proportion of aging
population in the state with 4.8 %. Tamil Nadu also witnessed a comparatively
higher increase in the proportion of aging population (4.7 %) during the period.
Coming to the extent of increase in the share of aging population in the total,
across the southern states in the decade 1991–2001, it can be seen that a slight TFR
decline of −0.1 % in Kerala and Tamil Nadu had caused a relatively higher in the
proportion of aging population. During the same period, the TFR decline was
relatively high at −0.4 in both Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, but increase in the
proportion of aging population in the total was not significant, i.e., below 1 % in
Karnataka and below 0.5 % in Andhra Pradesh.
In the following decade of 1991–2001, the decline in TFR and resultant change
in age structure of the population was substantial; proportion of aged population in
the total population increased in all the southern states. Percentage increase in the
proportion was relatively higher in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu (1.68 and 2.15 %
respectively). Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh also had registered considerable
increase in the proportion of aging population in total population in the decade
1991–2001, but the increase in proportion was below one per cent in Karnataka,
and about one percent in Andhra Pradesh. Further, if we look at the major changes
in the proportion of aging population in the total attributable to TFR decline, it can
be seen that TFR decline was almost identical in both the decades of 1991–2001
and 2001–2011 in the respective states. However the effects of TFR decline on the
Effects of Demographic Change on Environmental Degradation …
101
United Kingdom has already taken precautionary measures to mitigate the potential
impact of environment to anticipate by these demographic trends, particularly the
increasing number of older people in total. In this regard, the Royal Commission on
Environmental Pollution in the UK has found that, if people have more years of
active life that will potentially have a greater environmental impact. Older people
and particularly those over the age of 75, on average, contribute disproportionately
to carbon emissions from heating their homes, etc. This is because they spend a
greater amount of time at home and feel the cold more intensely. Further, there is
growing body of evidence to show that the potential environmental impact of
residues of pharmaceuticals released into the environment by excretion or disposal
particularly by the elderly is greater as they use more medicines than younger
people. And now a similar situation is evident in India. For example, as per 2001
census, India had 49.10 million people in 65+ age group which increased to
90 million (7.43 %) in 2011. And by the year 2050, their number is expected to
reach 315 million, constituting about 20 % of the total population. Hence, it is
considered that the increasing number of older people in the country will be a
potential source of environmental effects in the future.
In this regard, an effort has been done to understand the role of fertility and
changing age structure population across southern states of India focusing the
elderly population in Table 1. The TFR decline was evident in all four southern
states of India during the last two decades. Interestingly, a decline of 1.6 in
Karnataka has resulted in an increase of about 3 % in the proportion of aging
population during 30 years. Surprisingly, the absolute TFR decline was very low in
Kerala (0.9), but it has resulted in significant increase in the proportion of aging
population in the state with 4.8 %. Tamil Nadu also witnessed a comparatively
higher increase in the proportion of aging population (4.7 %) during the period.
Coming to the extent of increase in the share of aging population in the total,
across the southern states in the decade 1991–2001, it can be seen that a slight TFR
decline of −0.1 % in Kerala and Tamil Nadu had caused a relatively higher in the
proportion of aging population. During the same period, the TFR decline was
relatively high at −0.4 in both Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, but increase in the
proportion of aging population in the total was not significant, i.e., below 1 % in
Karnataka and below 0.5 % in Andhra Pradesh.
In the following decade of 1991–2001, the decline in TFR and resultant change
in age structure of the population was substantial; proportion of aged population in
the total population increased in all the southern states. Percentage increase in the
proportion was relatively higher in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu (1.68 and 2.15 %
respectively). Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh also had registered considerable
increase in the proportion of aging population in total population in the decade
1991–2001, but the increase in proportion was below one per cent in Karnataka,
and about one percent in Andhra Pradesh. Further, if we look at the major changes
in the proportion of aging population in the total attributable to TFR decline, it can
be seen that TFR decline was almost identical in both the decades of 1991–2001
and 2001–2011 in the respective states. However the effects of TFR decline on the
Effects of Demographic Change on Environmental Degradation …
101