Topline
Extreme heat can not only lead to a rise in violent crime, it also helps fuel an increase in online hate speech on Twitter, according to a study published Wednesday in the Lancet, a cautionary note as parts of the West Coast battles record high temperatures in the 110s in the latest summer heat wave.
Online hate speech on Twitter was 22% higher in extreme heat with temperatures, according to a new … [+]
Key Facts
Online hate speech on Twitter was 22% higher in extreme heat with temperatures between 107 and113 degrees Fahrenheit than on milder days between 59 and 64 degrees Fahrenheit, when online hate speech was at its lowest, according to the study conducted by researchers at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
Researchers, who analyzed more than 4 billion Twitter posts from 773 U.S. cities between 2014 and 2020, also found a sharp increase in online hate speech on very cold days with hate tweets rising 12.5% on days between 21 and 26 degrees Fahrenheit.
The proportion of overall tweets that included hate speech was 6% higher on days below 59 degrees Fahrenheit and 1% higher on days warmer than 64.4 degrees Fahrenheit than on milder days.
The results were consistent across religious and political beliefs, climate zones and income levels, the study found.
Researchers suggest the rise in hate speech during heat waves to the physical discomfort people experience in hot temperatures, as well as poor socioeconomic conditions such as food insecurity and economic circumstances worsened by climate change.
Key Background
For decades heat waves have been also associated with high crime rates. A June 2021 study published in Sustainable Cities and Society of major U.S. cities between 2007 and 2017 found that for every 5-degree Celsius rise in daily mean temperatures, sex offenses increased by 4.5% over the following eight days. Hot weather has also been found to coincide with a jump in homicides. A 2020 study in the National Library of Medicine found that for each increase of 5 degree Celsius, homicides over the following seven days increased by 9.5% in Chicago and 8.8% in New York. Similar links between heat and violent crime have been documented in Australia, Finland, South Korea and the United Kingdom, where a study found there were 14% more violent crimes when the temperature was 68 degrees Fahrenheit than at 50 degrees Fahrenheit between 2010 and 2018. Researchers point to two explanations for the connection between hot weather and violent crime: people feel uncomfortable, frustrated, impulsive and aggressive in the heat, and their daily routines can change, causing interpersonal conflicts, according to a September 2021 study in the Lancet. Researchers have also linked hot weather to poor mental health, including impaired cognition and mood, according to Boston University Environmental Health Professor Gregory Wellenius.
News Peg
Parts of California, Arizona and Nevada are in the midst of a record-breaking heat wave that has brought temperatures into the 110s, threatening electricity production as state officials urge residents to reduce electricity use. It’s only the latest in a series of extreme heat waves this summer across the country, as well as in Europe and China. In the past 30 days, nearly 1,500 places in the U.S. set daily high temperature records, according to the National Weather Service data. Scientists believe human-induced climate change will only make it hotter. According to a 2021 Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report, the frequency of heat waves in 50 U.S. cities increased from two per year in the 1960s to six in the 2010s. Those heat waves are also becoming longer and more intense, the report found.
Big Number
41%. That’s how many Americans say they have personally experienced online harassment, with most of it being driven by political reasons, according to a Pew Research Center study.
Further Reading
The troubling ways a heatwave can warp your mind (BBC)
Weatherwatch: a heatwave can lead to a crime wave (The Guardian)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2022/09/07/a-different-heatwave-warning-online-hate-like-violent-crime-soars-with-high-temperatures-study-suggests/