Climate change and dementia: the impacts of social inequalities

Climate change has emerged as a critical global health challenge, which poses significant risks to brain health and well being among older adults. This review summarized the evidence from the past 2 years on how climate change shapes cognitive health and further explored how social inequities amplify the climate-related exposures and the burden of dementia and its consequence.

Emerging evidence have linked climate-related exposures to the dementia continuum, from accelerating cognitive decline to increase acute hospitalization and mortality, through direct biological processes and indirect behavioral or social influences. These impacts were unequally distributed, with the greatest in low-income and middle-income countries and other socially disadvantaged groups. The socio-ecological framework provided a structured lens for understanding these dynamics, emphasizing public policy as a key lever for equitable adaptation and mitigation, such as climate-resilient infrastructure and specialized disaster protocols.

This review underscored the need to integrate climate considerations across the spectrum of cognitive health and to recognize the amplifying role of social inequities. Further research is required to close evidence gaps in resource-poor settings, implement advanced exposure measurements, and integrate social determinants and biomarkers for mechanisms exploration. Public policy should mitigate these inequities through targeted, equity-focused interventions and intersectoral collaboration.