New Delhi, Aug 3 (KNN) That there is a considerable correlation between climate and conflict, a BBC report suggests, citing examples such as increase in domestic violence in India during recent droughts, and a surge in assaults, rapes and murders during heatwaves in the US.

According to the report, researchers looked at 60 studies from the world with data spanning several centuries to arrive at the conclusion that a rise in violence is linked to climate change.

Under that premise, war and personal conflicts have links to shifts in climate which is attributed to increase in violence around the world.

Further, US scientists found that even small changes in temperature or rainfall have led to a rise in assaults, rapes and murders, as well as insurgency and war.  The ethnic clashes in Europe and civil wars in Africa too are a result of climate change, the BBC report said.

That said, with climate change happening faster than predicted, the world is likely to see plenty more violence in the future.

The report also seems to suggest that economic conditions have a large role to play.  In tropical countries that depend on the monsoon for agriculture, failure of adequate rainfall will have economic effects.  Invariably, people’s decisions such as whether they should join an agitation are determined by their economic condition.

Other studies show that heat makes people aggressive.  Each situation however is different but climate would have some bearing on it.  While warmer weather causes increase in violence, in cooler regions, people stay indoors, leaving fewer chances for violence.

However, there are conflicting views on the subject.  Not all researchers think that climate is linked to conflict, although they think that conflict could be linked to other factors such as high infant mortality, etc.  (KNN/ES)