Environmental sustainability in human brain mapping

2026 was the year climate emergency became a lived experience for many human brain mappers. At OHBM2026 in Bordeaux, France, heatwave temperatures were so high, the venue air conditioning broke under the strain. Just six weeks later, the conference centre was being used as an emergency evacuation centre for local residents fleeing unprecedented wildfires (Figure 1). Unfortunately, carbon emissions from our human brain mapping activities are contributing to the climate crisis, from our research scanning to our international travel. But as a community, we are also now on the receiving end of higher global temperatures: the annual meeting is being disrupted; travel plans can no longer be guaranteed; and our workplaces are heating up. The good news is that there are things we can do, as a community, to tackle our own emissions, and be part of the solution, rather than the problem. Over the last six years, the Sustainability and Environmental Action Special Interest Group – SEA-SIG – has collaborated across our society to raise awareness, measure the carbon footprint of human brain mapping research, and deliver alternative attendance and engagement options beyond air travel to the annual meeting. Here, I review our SIG’s activities, and my hopes for future initiatives to embed environmental sustainability in human brain mapping.