Summer is a time of relaxing on a beach, drinking a cold slushy on the hottest days. But when days got too hot, slushy’s and beaches can be overshadowed a grimmer reality. The high temperatures of the current global heat wave could result in humans being unhappy, angry, and worst of all, violent. History has proven this to be the case.
In Ukraine, between 2010 and 2018, there was 14% increase in violent crime when temperatures rose from 10 Celsius (50 Fahrenheit to above 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit). In South Africa, there is 1.5% more murders for every degree the temperature goes up.
Other than murders increases, hot weather can make humans do another violent act: uprisings. Scientists tracked all the uprisings around the world for almost 100 years, and concluded that an overwhelming majority occurred during the summer. Whether you looked at Asia, or went across the globe and checked out North America, the situation was the same. In Europe, revolutions were probably going to happen in July, while in South America they were more likely to occur in January.
1988 was a year of record temperatures, a year where car seats practically burned your back when you sat on it, and ice-cream melted before you could enjoy the cold refreshing taste. In 1988, violent crimes increased by a staggering amount: 5.5%! Robberies went up 4.9 percent to a recorded number 542,968, and aggravated assaults were up 6.4 percent to almost a million!
Of course, correlation is not necessarily causation. Many scientists oppose the idea hot weather can effect human actions. ”While violent crime known to law enforcement reached an unprecedented high in 1988, there is currently no way to measure accurately drug involvement in these unwelcome statistics,” F.B.I. Director William S. Sessions said in a report.
“There is a caveat,” says Trevor Harley, emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Dundee. “The relationship between heat and things like rioting is U-shaped. So when it becomes very hot or humid, people don’t do anything because it’s just too uncomfortable to move.”
Right now, there isn’t much data on how our current global heat wave is effecting us, but as when we look at 2022’s statistics, we can expect to see uprisings, robberies, and many other violent crimes. As global warming continues, we might expect these statistics to get even worse.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1658072366011x576413810495715500/The troubling ways a heatwave can warp your mind – BBC Future.pdf
Violent Crimes Increase by 5.5% For 1988, Establishing a Record – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
In Ukraine, between 2010 and 2018, there was 14% increase in violent crime when temperatures rose from 10 Celsius (50 Fahrenheit to above 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit). In South Africa, there is 1.5% more murders for every degree the temperature goes up.
Other than murders increases, hot weather can make humans do another violent act: uprisings. Scientists tracked all the uprisings around the world for almost 100 years, and concluded that an overwhelming majority occurred during the summer. Whether you looked at Asia, or went across the globe and checked out North America, the situation was the same. In Europe, revolutions were probably going to happen in July, while in South America they were more likely to occur in January.
1988 was a year of record temperatures, a year where car seats practically burned your back when you sat on it, and ice-cream melted before you could enjoy the cold refreshing taste. In 1988, violent crimes increased by a staggering amount: 5.5%! Robberies went up 4.9 percent to a recorded number 542,968, and aggravated assaults were up 6.4 percent to almost a million!
Of course, correlation is not necessarily causation. Many scientists oppose the idea hot weather can effect human actions. ”While violent crime known to law enforcement reached an unprecedented high in 1988, there is currently no way to measure accurately drug involvement in these unwelcome statistics,” F.B.I. Director William S. Sessions said in a report.
“There is a caveat,” says Trevor Harley, emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Dundee. “The relationship between heat and things like rioting is U-shaped. So when it becomes very hot or humid, people don’t do anything because it’s just too uncomfortable to move.”
Right now, there isn’t much data on how our current global heat wave is effecting us, but as when we look at 2022’s statistics, we can expect to see uprisings, robberies, and many other violent crimes. As global warming continues, we might expect these statistics to get even worse.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1658072366011x576413810495715500/The troubling ways a heatwave can warp your mind – BBC Future.pdf
Violent Crimes Increase by 5.5% For 1988, Establishing a Record – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
