{"id":37188,"date":"2025-08-04T16:36:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T14:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/?p=37188"},"modified":"2025-08-04T16:37:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T14:37:09","slug":"climate-change-and-the-brain-silent-risk-of-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/2025\/08\/04\/climate-change-and-the-brain-silent-risk-of-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate change and the brain: A silent risk to the future"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we think of climate change, most of us think of melting glaciers, extreme weather, or animal migration. However, few people realize that one of the most vulnerable organs in the climate crisis is the human brain<\/strong>. Scientists are increasingly pointing out that rising temperatures, air pollution, stress from extreme weather and food insecurity<\/strong> they have direct impacts on mental health, behavior and even the occurrence of neurological disorders<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n
\ud83d\udd25 Heat and mental health<\/h5>\n
\u26d4 Cognitive performance<\/h5>\n

At high temperatures (above 30\u201335 \u00b0C) the following decreases:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • ability concentrations<\/strong>,<\/li>\n
  • memory functions<\/strong>,<\/li>\n
  • information processing speed<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Studies show that schoolchildren, students, and manual workers perform worse during hot weather, especially if they do not have access to air-conditioned environments.<\/p>\n

    \ud83d\ude14 Increase in depression and anxiety<\/h5>\n

    Elevated temperatures are associated with worsening symptoms depression and anxiety disorders<\/strong>, especially in vulnerable groups \u2013 the elderly, young adults and lonely people. Prolonged heat stress can alter levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin<\/strong> a dopamine<\/strong>, which is related to mood and emotional stability.<\/p>\n

    \ud83d\ude21 Increase in aggression and violence<\/h5>\n

    Statistics from several countries show that during heat waves, the number of:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • domestic violence<\/strong>,<\/li>\n
    • verbal and physical conflicts<\/strong>,<\/li>\n
    • murderous attacks<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Scientists believe that heat reduces the brain's ability to regulate impulsive behavior and increases irritability.<\/p>\n

      \n
      \ud83e\uddec Air Pollution: A Hidden Neurotoxin<\/h5>\n

      Increased emissions of greenhouse gases and dust particles (PM2.5, ozone) have not only climatic but also neurological consequences<\/strong>Fine particles penetrate through the nose into the brain and can cause:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • inflammatory reactions<\/strong>,<\/li>\n
      • disruption of the blood-brain barrier<\/strong>,<\/li>\n
      • oxidative stress<\/strong> in brain tissue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \ud83e\uddd3 Risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease<\/h5>\n

        Research from the US and Europe suggests that people living in areas with polluted air are more likely to develop dementia<\/strong>, especially Alzheimer's disease<\/strong>Chronic exposure to particulate matter from transportation and fossil fuel combustion is associated with faster loss of brain volume<\/strong> a decline in cognitive abilities<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

        \n
        \ud83d\udc76 Children and pregnant women: The most vulnerable<\/h5>\n
        \ud83e\udde0 Brain development<\/h5>\n

        In children born in polluted or extremely hot environments, the following have been recorded:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • reduced IQ,<\/li>\n
        • attention deficit disorder (ADHD),<\/li>\n
        • autism spectrum disorders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          They are particularly sensitive fetal stages<\/strong> \u2013 extreme heat during pregnancy increases the risk premature birth<\/strong>, low birth weight and developmental brain disorders<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

          \n
          \ud83c\udfe5 Increase in neurological diseases<\/h5>\n

          According to a growing body of research, climatic factors increase the incidence or worsen the course of the following diseases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
          Disease<\/th>\nClimate connection<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
          Migraines<\/strong><\/td>\nIncrease in seizures during heat and pollution<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
          Epilepsy<\/strong><\/td>\nHigher likelihood of seizures during heat stress<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
          Multiple sclerosis<\/strong><\/td>\nRelapses during summer heat waves<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
          Cerebral strokes (infarctions)<\/strong><\/td>\nHigher incidence during extremely hot days<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
          \n
          \ud83e\udded What can we do about it?<\/h5>\n
          \ud83d\udd39 Individually:<\/h5>\n
            \n
          • Watch temperature in the home<\/strong>, use shading, ventilation, or air conditioning.<\/li>\n
          • Increase movement during the cooler hours of the day<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
          • Take care of your mental health \u2013 relaxation, hydration, quality sleep.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \ud83d\udd39 Systemically:<\/h5>\n
              \n
            • Support green infrastructure in cities<\/strong>which cools the environment.<\/li>\n
            • Press on reducing emissions and switching to clean energy sources<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
            • Introduce public health policies that take climate extremes into account.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              The climate crisis is not just an environmental or economic problem. It also affects our brain, mind, and behavior.<\/strong> As the frequency of extremes increases, so does the need to protect mental and neurological health. And while individuals can take precautions, a real solution requires collective and systemic changes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

              \u27a1\ufe0f If we protect the climate, we also protect the brain<\/strong> \u2013 yours and future generations. JRi<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

               <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              When we think of climate change, most of us think of melting glaciers, extreme weather, or animal migration. However, few people realize that one of the most vulnerable organs in the climate crisis is the human brain.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-klimaticka-zmena"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37188\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}