Hot Brain 2: climate change and brain health

Climate change is here: we see its impacts daily around the world. 2023 was the hottest year on record. People with neurological disease may be amongst those affected first and most severely. The incidence of some neurological diseases is likely to rise, whilst healthcare systems will become increasingly compromised in providing care for people affected. Climate change will impact the professional lives of healthcare providers. Even if greenhouse gas emissions are stopped today, there will still be further rises in global temperatures, with all their accompanying consequences. We need to act now for brain health in this changing environment.

Following on from last year’s successful meeting, the aims of this year’s meeting are to raise awareness about the risks of climate change for the brain and neurological healthcare, to nurture global collaborative research, and to promote action against climate change and foster adaptation strategies.

The meeting is jointly organised by UCL and The Lancet Neurology.

This will be a hybrid meeting. The face-to-face element will be held at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology in London, UK. Virtual participation will enable people from around the world to take part without the expense and carbon emissions of long-distance travel. The meeting will be recorded and made available to registrants for 6 months. This meeting is approved by the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom for 6 category 1 (external) CPD credit(s).

It is our intention to measure and offset the carbon emissions associated with the meeting. Trees will be planted at the UCL Tree Grove in Scotland 

• Faculty sustainability blog post on Hot Brain conferences