The Impact of Climate and Environmental Change on Brain Health | With Dr Burcin Ikiz
From Climate Afya: The Climate and Health Podcast · 00:20:28
Show by Ann Ngengere
For World Mental Health Day last month, we published an episode about the impacts of climate change on mental health. Today we’ll go a little bit broader and highlight something we don’t talk about enough: how climate change affects brain health.As Ann recently learnt, the effects can go beyond mental health, as documented by a team from the Neuro Climate Working Group led by Dr Burcin Ikiz in their recently published report “The Impact of Climate and Environmental Change on Brain Health”. Burcin joined me on the podcast to talk about the different ways extreme heat, air pollution, flooding and other climate-related events can affect the brain. In today’s episode of Climate Afya, Burcin joins Ann to unpack these links and look into case studies from the Sahel and Nigeria.This episode was recorded on October 21, 2026.Dr Burcin Ikiz is a neuroscientist working at the intersection of brain health, climate change, and planetary resilience, advancing research, policy, and community action through science-informed approaches. She is also the founder & director of EcoNeuro and the International Neuro Climate Working Group (NCWG), a 500+ member global consortium recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of the top global initiatives addressing climate change and mental health. She is also an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at Stanford University, teaching on brain health and climate change, and contributing to the CIRCLE initiative on community resilience and emotional well-being.Resources mentioned in this episode:Neuro Climate Science And Policy Report 2026: The Impact of Climate and Environmental Change on Brain Health- https://report-2026.neuroclimate.org/neuroclimate-science-policy-report-2026.pdfBrain health: The blind spot in climate policy- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2026.101835
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