Researchers published a study in the journal Nature Climate Change exploring the potential effects of climate change on brain function. They highlight the need for further research into how environmental changes affect cognitive processes and highlight the key role of neuroscience in addressing climate-related challenges.
A new factor in the catastrophic effects of climate change is emerging - how global warming affects the human brain.
In a paper published today (13 November) in the journal Nature Climate Change, an international team of academics explores how research shows that changing environments affect the way our brains work, and how climate change may affect our brain function in the future. The paper was led by the University of Vienna, with contributions from the University of Geneva, New York University, Chicago, Washington University, Stanford University, the University of Exeter in the UK and the Max Planck Institute in Berlin. The paper also explores the role neuroscientists can play in further understanding and addressing these challenges.
"We have long known that environmental factors can cause changes in the brain," said the study's lead author, Dr. Kimberly C. Doell of the University of Vienna. "However, we have only begun to study how climate change, the greatest global threat of our time, changes our brains. Given that We are already experiencing increasingly frequent extreme weather events, coupled with factors such as air pollution, our access to nature, and people's stress and anxiety due to climate change, and only then can we begin to look for ways to slow these changes."
Since the 1940s, scientists have discovered through studies of mice that changing environmental factors can profoundly alter brain development and plasticity. The study found disorders in brain systems including a lack of cognitive stimulation, exposure to toxins, poor nutrition and increased childhood stress. While not entirely surprising, this study highlights the profound impact the environment has on the brain.
The authors are now calling for research to explore the effects on the human brain of exposure to more extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts and hurricanes, and associated forest fires and floods. They believe these events may alter brain structure, function and overall health, and call for more research to assess how this explains changes in well-being and behaviour.
The paper also explores the role that neuroscience can play in influencing how we think about, judge and respond to climate change.
Dr Matthew White from the University of Exeter and the University of Vienna is one of the study's co-authors. "Understanding neural activity related to motivation, emotion and time horizons may help predict behavior and improve our understanding of potential barriers that prevent people from engaging in desired pro-environmental behaviors," he said. "Brain function and climate change are both very complex areas. We need to start seeing them as interconnected and take action to protect our brains from the realities of future climate change, while also starting to better use our brains to cope with what has already happened and prevent the worst-case scenarios."