Wesley Posted August 2, 2013 Posted August 2, 2013 Rise in violence 'linked to climate change'http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23538771 US scientists found that even small changes in temperature or rainfall correlated with a rise in assaults, rapes and murders, as well as group conflicts and war. The team says with the current projected levels of climate change, the world is likely to become a more violent place. The study is published in Science. Marshall Burke, from the University of California, Berkeley, said: "This is a relationship we observe across time and across all major continents around the world. The relationship we find between these climate variables and conflict outcomes are often very large." The researchers looked at 60 studies from around the world, with data spanning hundreds of years. They report a "substantial" correlation between climate and conflict. Their examples include an increase in domestic violence in India during recent droughts, and a spike in assaults, rapes and murders during heatwaves in the US. The report also suggests rising temperatures correlated with larger conflicts, including ethnic clashes in Europe and civil wars in Africa. Isn't violence that doesn't include government decreasing substantially? It would make sense that as government increases in power (with the excuse of climate change) would result in more violence. Overall, this is obviously missing the point by coming up with a correlation and assuming causation.
TheRobin Posted August 2, 2013 Posted August 2, 2013 I'd say it's more a usage of vague terms to try and link or justify the environmental stuff. Saying that people are more easily annoyed when they're too hot and feel uncofortable due to temperature is certainly not surprising, but then calling that "climate change" and trying to link it to to boogyman of global climate change is certainly unwarranted. Also it's nice too see that the artciel ends with stating a good critique of the conclusion, but given the the whole rest is just vague climate change fearmongering, I'd say objectivity wasn't a particular goal of that article.
Soren Posted August 2, 2013 Posted August 2, 2013 Well I have only read a few pages and the conclusion, but this article: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/postgraduate/ma_studies/mamodules/hi971/topics/interpersonal/long-term-historical-trends-of-violent-crime.pdf Seems to put a large question mark infront of the hypothesis that climate is a driver of human aggression especially if we use the hockey stick climate model. Soren
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