Extreme Temperatures and Violence
Publisher: Nature Climate Change
Author(s): Clionadh Raleigh, Andrew Linke, John O'Loughlin
Date: 2014
Topics: Climate Change
In his book Civilization and Climate, Ellsworth Huntington (1876–1947) noted that “ Almost any American or European who has travelled or resided within the tropics will confess that he has occasionally flown into a passion, and perhaps used physical violence, under circumstances which at home would merely have made him vexed. ” Tis begs the question — why is there no violent conflict when severe droughts, heavy foods or hot temperatures hit rich countries. One reason is that high levels of social and political stability exist in comparatively developed countries: farmers’ crops fail, but they have insurance; property is damaged, but recovery centres are available to house victims; the injured are treated in hospitals; state agencies rush to assist. When disasters strike truly destitute societies with low levels of social stability, it compounds already poor governance, economic marginalization and substantial environmental vulnerabilities.