Heat stress at about 30 degrees: Can climate change go?
When the sun is beating and the sweat is running, pulls a thread quickly the patience. Anyone who has ever been without air conditioning in a traffic jam knows. In many swimming pools it always comes back to a loud dispute and violence. An increase in violence threatens, therefore, with climate change, as some scientists expect?
In uncomfortable high temperatures, motorists honk longer, engage police officers in training situations more and more weapon drops in the case of sellers in the Store, the helpfulness. Also in swimming pools, it comes increasingly to acts of violence.
Studies drawing on first glance, a clear picture: Under heat stress, human enemy show themselves blessed, anti-social, irritable. Germany, too, should have heat days so many otherwise gentle disposition to the hothead transforms. Can have in times of climate change consequences for society? He brings, besides the expected increase in heat waves is also waves of violence?
Just under 40 degrees – escalation in outdoor pools
Recently, the temperature rose to partly close to 40 degrees, in many areas of Germany, people had to contend with the extreme heat.
Last Friday, a mass armed with several Hundred participating swimmers occurred in one of düsseldorf’s outdoor swimming pool. The police moved in with dozens of officials and tried to mediate, but the Situation escalated. Beverage cartons were thrown in the direction of the forces, scattered bathers tried to provoke the policemen by means of challenging approach.
The police did pepper spray. Even after the situation calmed down in the pool, noticed a part of the aggressive group of people a short time later again by shouting at the exhibition station.
This incident is not an isolated case. In Essen, outdoor swimming pool, a group of young men had attacked last week, two lifeguards and a young girl. The twelve-year-old and one of the lifeguards came in with minor injuries to the hospital, a police spokeswoman reported.
In Hessen, there was rioting on Wednesday in front of a crowded lake to. Due to strong demand, the inlet had been closed provisionally. Then, about 200 people attempted to forcibly, on the grounds penetrate. Waiting stones and called him names, threw the security forces. In an outdoor pool in Mannheim, Germany a man on Saturday, sprayed in a family dispute, a can of pepper spray. Five people, including two children, suffered minor injuries.
Lifeguards warn of increasing aggressiveness
The Federal Association of German swimming champion has complained for some time of an increasing aggressiveness in outdoor pools. “I am now 45 years in the Job,” says Association President Peter resin home. “You have certainly been through a lot, but what has happened in the last 40 years, is appalling. The word ‘respect’ used to have a very different meaning than today.” In the past ten to 20 years have changed thoroughly.
It was obvious that rapid climate warming, creating more opportunities for aggressive and violent situations. At least the authors of the US-violence researcher Craig Anderson (Iowa State University) write in a study published in February.
For decades American experts deal with the topic. Long, hot, and also with the violence associated summer are nothing New. They did the appropriate experiments and analyzed crime rates by regions and years.
This happens in the body in the heat
That heat stress leads to an increase in violence and Aggression, is demonstrated by such studies, writes Anderson in the journal “Current Climate Change Reports”. He cites, among other things, an earlier study which found that with each degree Celsius of climate warming, the murder rates of around six per cent might increase, data from 60 countries to be subject to the underlying.
The heat, the people make more aggressive, is also confirmed by medic, Hanns-Christian Gunga, a Professor at the Institute for physiology of the Charité hospital in Berlin. Compared with the Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, he declared that the violence increases by the hormone vasopres-Sion. It will ensure that the body can store the liquid. As soon as the liquid budget falls approximately at high heat, will be distributed this hormone increased. This will lead to a significant aggressiveness increase.
The extreme temperatures have a strong effect on the body. If dizziness, headache or sleep disturbances – people are unbalanced, and often irritable. In addition, studies show that the IQ in the heat decreases by 30 to 40 points. This is because the body loses in the heat of the liquid. You need to drink on hot days more than on other days – otherwise your brain might lose its power.
For the USA, the investigation had come to the conclusion that a temperature increase of one degree Celsius would lead to 25,000 more cases of severe to deadly attacks.
Heat is an “amplifier”
It doesn’t have to be this way. The bottom line is, the data is inconclusive, says the Bielefeld conflict researcher Andreas Zick. That heat had an effect is indisputable. Taken by itself, this effect is small, however, one must always think in terms of interactions, says the Director of the Institute for interdisciplinary conflict and violence research at the University of Bielefeld. He called the heat a “amplifier” in certain moods.
If it POPs in focal point areas, could also play the weather, a role: data of the Berlin Senate Department for the environment show that the heat builds up, especially in Neighborhoods where already the social problems of the bale and where over 600,000 of Berlin. When it comes to densely built-up parts of Moabit, Wedding, and Neukölln.
Short blazing sun at the red light about but should not worry for aggression boosts: Critical high temperatures are stable over a longer period of time, explained Zick. You feel the climate as unpleasant, will be transferred to the environment. This is true, but only up to a certain threshold: Extreme heat arrester Aggression rather – they paralyze eventually.
“We will learn, we will adapt”
Scientists are aware that violence during heat phases depends at least in part to the fact that people are more in the summer outside, and, for example, drink alcohol. This is more a dispute arising opportunities. Maybe the people are also unausgeschlafener, because it is too hot.
From a psychological point of view violence during heat waves is not programmed. “I don’t believe these forecasts to be more murders by heat,” says Ralph Schliewenz from the professional Association of German psychologists. In experiments, subjects often alone, through the design of the study no other Option than to react under heat stress, violent. The reality is more complex. “There are always ways to deal with it.”
The history of mankind right Schliewenz optimistic: people are a problem-solver, be. “We will learn, we will adapt.” The psychologist also points out that in all climates people lived and our body can maintain a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, for example through increased sweating. “Turn head, think of the Problem”, he appeals.
In the research in Germany, zig expects a growing interest in the topic – now that the climate change and heat waves moved more into the field of view. “Probably, we will see in the future more data, because we realize only now that these factors play a role.”
Tight spaces friendly
Previously, researchers had ridiculed the climate factor. Crime and climate data were not or only rarely associated. The question of how long the sun popped when committing the crime from the sky, seemed to be irrelevant. The focus was rather on things such as age, gender, and income of the offender.
US researchers Anderson looks on. He warns that climate change is violence and Aggression stoked also indirectly: by he may lead for example to more environmental disasters and refugee movements.
But the question of violence arises, even in aging societies, such as the German? Seniors would tend to be fitter and not necessarily slower, and wiser, estimates that zig. And, on a friendlier design “narrow space” to think about: railway stations, where it can be loud, crowded and hot. In order to keep the cool head.
