things have changed now

Hi,

This is why, although skin cancer is rising in some countries, it’s decreasing in others – particularly those that have raised the most awareness around the importance of using sunscreen. “Skin cancer rates are increasing among older generations – they’re carrying damage from decades earlier in their lives, because things have changed now,” says Adele Green, senior scientist of the cancer and population studies group at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia.

(This comes from cn.nytimes.com Sunscreen: What science says about ingredient safety. Here's a Chinese website.)

What does "things" refer to? People's awareness around the importance of using sunscreen, that is, they didn't know the importance but now they are aware of the importance?

Thanks in advance!

Can I understand this way:
There are two reasons that skin cancer rates are increasing among older generations:
1. they’re carrying damage from decades earlier in their lives,
2. situation/environment around them have changed now, like depletion of the ozone layer.

ironman2012 said:

Can I understand this way:
There are two reasons that skin cancer rates are increasing among older generations:
1. they’re carrying damage from decades earlier in their lives,
2. situation/environment around them have changed now, like depletion of the ozone layer.

The article doesn't explicitly state that the relatively recent depletion of the ozone layer is a cause for the rise in skin cancer rates among older generations; the earlier lack of protection is making the rates rise now. 'Things' in 'because things have changed' could refer either
a) to the general situation in which people (of all ages) realize they need protection or
b) to the general situation of the depleted ozone layer or
c) both a) and b).
Since the article is about sunscreen as protection I expect that that 'things' refers to a).

lingobingo said:

The reason why older people have suffered more harm from UV radiation is that in their youth its dangers were not fully appreciated (and were not so great).

I wonder what "because things have changed now" explains. It seems it doesn't explain why "skin cancer rates are increasing among older generations".

ironman2012 said:

I wonder what "because things have changed now" explains. It seems it doesn't explain why "skin cancer rates are increasing among older generations".

I wondered that also. I guess that the speaker means that skin cancer rates are rising among older people because they've accumulated a lot of damage to their skin over the years, especially several decades ago (when they were young and when people purposely tried to get a nice tan). Because things have changed, though, the skin cancer rates among younger people are not as high one would have expected. But this is just a guess. It's not a clear sentence, and the context doesn't seem to help.

Roxxxannne said:

I wondered that also. ... Because things have changed, though, the skin cancer rates among younger people are not as high one would have expected. But this is just a guess. It's not a clear sentence, and the context doesn't seem to help.

Thank you. It's helpful.