Climate Change Commission

About Us

Task Forces

Task Force 1: Sustainable ILAE

Co-Chairs: Michael Hildebrand and Norman Delanty
Members: Priyanka Madaan, Lynette Sadleir and Angel Aledo-Serrano

Overall Aim

The overall aim is to investigate how the ILAE organization can change to help deliver on climate change and sustainability imperatives. Task Force 1 will identify reasonable goals and provide evidence for the steps that the ILAE could feasibly take to realize those goals.

Individual Aims

  1. To maximise sustainability of catering at ILAE congresses Task Force 1 will provide evidence in support of the sustainability value and co-benefits of such a change
  2. To promote sustainable international travel to ILAE meetings through accessible venues, hybrid availability and incentives for delegates to pay carbon offset fees through inclusion in reimbursement.
  3. To encourage engagement of the epilepsy community in combatting climate change through internal congresses, World Climate Change Day and World Environment Day, as well as smaller initiatives each year to bring about important but incremental change.
  4. To help work towards discontinuation of print versions of remaining ILAE official journals (Epilepsia and Epileptic Disorders), as well as encourage the transition to electronic-only versions of external epilepsy journals, such as Epilepsy and Behaviour, and Seizure
  5. To support sustainable research by initiating an annual research award and consider grant funding to investigate the impact of climate change on people with epilepsy

Task Force 2: Sustainability Engagement

Co-Chairs: Janet Mifsud and David Henshall
Members: Medine Gülçebi and Hasnaa Mohamed

Aims and Strategies

1. To engage with and learn from other organizations on climate change initiatives. Such organizations would include:

  • Organisations that carry out sustainability certification for institutes, laboratories, or universities
  • Organisations (e.g. pharma, professional organisations, NGOs) which have implemented sustainable activities

Strategies:

  • Liaise with the EpiCC networking group to establish a list of organisations already working in this field
  • Carry out an online search and compile a list of organisations which have already implemented climate change initiatives
  • Use the data from these organisations to compile examples of good practice for ILAE and its member organisations to emulate

2. To spread information on sustainable activities and initiatives to ILAE members and other organizations (in liaison with Task Forces 1 and 3)

Strategies:

  • Organise ongoing webinars for ILAE members which will including post evaluation questionnaires
  • Transfer this information into tailored recommendations and guidelines for epilepsy research centers (preclinical and clinical research, with Task Force 3)
  • Continuously evaluate developments in the area via ongoing communications with other organisations

3. To develop strategies (such as providing accessible information) for increasing awareness on the effects of climate change and measures to mitigate these in our practice

Strategies:

  • Organize and develop material and informative brochures for physicians and educational material for patients on climate change, possibly with relevant links on ILAE website
  • Develop surveys which clinicians can use with their patients during routine follow ups to assess the effect of climate change and drug response on different types of epilepsy during drastic weather changes (in liaison with Task Force 3).
  • Develop surveys on how epilepsy research centers (preclinical and clinical research separately) are addressing sustainable practices, if any

Task Force 3: Research Sustainability 

Chair: Annamaria Vezzani
Members: Giulia Battaglia, Bernadette Chua-Macrohon, Sara Eyal, James Mills and Alessia Romagnolo

Aims and Strategies

1. To quantify, and promote reduced, carbon emissions associated with epilepsy-related research activities, using the breadth and reach of ILAE

Strategies:

  • Surveys among preclinical and clinical centers to gather a view of the general awareness and actions taken: preparation of a questionnaire in concert with the Task Forces 1 and 2
  • Use ILAE channels (a) to communicate information to preclinical/clinical research centers about organizations that assess lab/center carbon fingerprint (LEAF, GreenLab, etc.) and (b) to promote actions to mitigate environmental impact

2. To promote research activities helping to understand the impact of climate change for people with epilepsy and epilepsy professionals

Strategies:

  • Meta-analysis of “Climate change impact on epilepsy”
  • Reports about personal experience related to country-specific conditions
  • Assess telemedicine impact vs face-to-face consultation
  • Propose preclinical/clinical research approaches that may help in understanding the impact of climate changes on epilepsy (in consultation with Task Forces 1 and 2)

3.1. To develop guidelines in concert with Task Forces 1 and 2 for meaningful reduction in epilepsy-related emissions, whilst promoting co-benefits of such actions (e.g. reduce risk of seizures associated with heatwaves, increase thermal comfort; ASDs stability and efficacy, donate unused supplies to countries in need, etc)

3.2 To develop recommendations for responsible research, based on the literature and the findings from our questionnaire: e.g. reduce plastic waste and chemical use (buy in bulk, switch to glass etc.; education on experimental design to reduce the need for repeating experiments, improve waste disposal, etc.)

Strategies: Pending point 1 and point 2