Community Engagement is Crucial When Taking Action Against Climate Change

Beth A. Malow, MD, MS, FAAN, professor, departments of neurology and pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, emphasized the need for further research into the impact of particulates on neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions in a Pharmacy Times® interview. Additionally, she discussed that health care institutions are contributors to climate change through emissions and by reducing these can help mitigate the effects of climate change and its impacts on neurological health.

Malow will be moderating the 2025 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting event entitled “Climate Change and Brain Health: What Do We Know and What Can We Do?” and will be presenting the session “Advocacy—What Actions can Neurologists Take?”

Pharmacy Times: What research gaps exist in the understanding of neurological effects of climate change?

Beth A. Malow, MD, MS, FAAN: There's a lot of research that we still need to do. I think that a big area for research is, for example, I mentioned the particulates that can contribute to stroke and dementia, neurodegenerative [and] neurodevelopmental conditions. We don't exactly know why they do or what the mechanism of action is, and in order to prevent damage, for example, or think about how we can mitigate that, it's really important to know what exactly is happening. People have linked it to inflammation and to oxidative stress, but really having a better handle on what exactly is going on is going to be really important.

Pharmacy Times: What steps can medical institutions or health systems take to mitigate impacts of climate change?

Malow: So, I'll say a couple of things about institutions. First of all, believe it or not, institutions and health care organizations are contributors to climate change, global warming, and that's because we have a variety of emissions that come from the health care system. So, for example, if you think about anesthesia, anesthetic gases, or other ways that we use energy to run our MRI systems and everything else, we are playing a role in contributing. So, anything that the health care system can do to minimize those emissions is going to make a big difference. And there's several organizations out there. I'll just highlight one [as an example.] It's called Global Green and Health Hospitals, and it's global, and the idea is—if you look it up—you'll see that they have initiatives to try to help hospitals decrease their emissions...they're polluting, we call it carbon pollution; carbon dioxide [is] being emitted into the atmosphere. So, that's something that hospitals can do.

And then, I think on a communication level, there's a lot of room for hospitals to have campaigns where they educate patients and their own health care workers on what is climate change, what's happening to our climate, what can we do to speak out, what can we do to mitigate it? You know, I feel like it's such an important issue and we have a really great role to play. Sometimes it's just a simple message, a story, that you share with your colleagues, your patients, or friends, and you know, it can make such a difference. So for me, it might be [as simple as] getting out in the outdoors and feeling like, if it's really hot outside, I can't get out, I can't exercise outside. I'm stuck in this gym. And everybody has their own story, it might be having lived through a flood or a wildfire, and having to provide medical care to people who are suffering with, you know, stroke or dementia, or even mental health issues. I think there's so many different stories that we can share as health care professionals.

I think there really is hope, and there's a lot of companies right now in the private sector who are working on renewable energy—for example, solar, wind, nuclear as well—that can really make a difference in terms of the ability to make our planet more healthy. I think it's important to band together with people. I always say, find a group that you're comfortable with. It might be other health care professionals, it might just be a community in your state or locally, and get out there and talk with them and talk with the public. It's definitely a role that we can play as health care professionals.