AI Summary
The text explains that the increasing temperatures and frequency of extreme weather events have implications for various medical problems. These include both direct effects, such as heat stress and exacerbation of pre-existing conditions, and indirect effects like the impacts of wildfire smoke inhalation, the spread of infectious diseases, and mental health issues caused by climate anxiety. To address these challenges, researchers need to be motivated and allowed to shift their focus to include these climate-related problems.
2023 was the hottest year in recorded history. Neurologists are coming to appreciate the fact that increases in temperatures and the frequency of extreme weather events come with a host of potential medical problems,1 both direct (eg, the effects of heat stress and exacerbation of pre-existing conditions) and indirect (effects from, for example, wildfire smoke inhalation, the increasing range of infectious disease vectors, and mental health effects due to climate anxiety). To tackle these challenges, researchers must be incentivised and given the latitude to shift or spread their focus to include these problems.