by Zack Beauchamp
Carl Prine is impressed by a new study (gated) in which the authors "directly associate planetary-scale climate changes with global patterns of civil conflict by examining the dominant interannual mode of the modern climate, the El Niño/Southern Oscillation." Carl's causal hypothesis:
I humbly submit that one key reason for the increased violence might be the very number of dry, sunny days. Criminologists have realized for quite some time that summer is more violent than the colder months not because people get all hotted up to commit homicides or aggravated assaults by the sun. Rather, it’s because warm and dry days mean people are out and about more, and as they come into contact with more and varied souls they’re more likely to try to shoot each other.
The Dish 