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A new study indicates that suicide rates could increase by 1.4% by 2050 as a direct result of rising temperatures. (beer5020 / Getty Images)
- Unmitigated climate change could cause an additional 9,000 to 40,000 suicides in the United States and Mexico by 2050.
- The depressive language discovered in more than 600 social media suggests being decreasing in hot weather. A new study indicates that rising temperatures due to climate change caused by humans have been associated with increased rates of suicide in the United States and Mexico
. 0.7% increase in US counties and 2.1% in Mexican municipalities for a 1 C increase in average monthly temperature. "
By comparing temperature and historical data, the researchers say that unmitigated climate change could 40,000 suicides in the United States and Mexico by 2050.
" When we talk of climate change, it is often easy to think in abstract terms.But the thousands of [extra] suicides that are likely to occur as a result of unmoderated climate change are not just a number, they represent tragic losses for families across the country, "Marshall Burke, assistant professor of Earth System Science In a press release published at the School of Earth Sciences, Energy and the Environment of Stanford University
researchers have known for years that suicides tend to increase during the warmer months.As part of their research, the team analyzed the language in more than half a billion updates or tweets on Twitter to determine if warmer temperatures affect mental well-being (19659007) Experts say )
They also sought to see if words like "solitary", "trapped" or "suicidal" appeared more frequently during periods of heat.
They found this depressive language discovered in over 600 social media postings suggest that mental well-being decreases in hot weather.
"Surprisingly, these effects differ very little according to the wealth of populations or if they are accustomed to warm weather," Burke said.
To calculate the predicted number of suicides by 2050, the team used projections of global climate models. They found that projected temperature increases by 2050 could increase by 1.4% in the United States and 2.3% in Mexico
"We are studying the effects of warming on conflict and violence For years now, it's hot.Now we see that in addition to hurting others, some people get hurt.It seems that heat deeply affects the human spirit and the way we decide to inflict damage, "said Solomon Hsiang, co-author and associate professor at the University of California at Berkeley
. According to a June report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide rates have reached nearly 30% since 1999 in the United States.
Other seasonal factors like the unemployment rate or the amount of daylight can contribute to suicide, according to the researchers. According to the CDC, other factors include problems related to relationships, substance use, physical health and work-related stress, money, legal or housing. "The warmer temperatures are not the only, nor the most important, suicide," Burke said. "But our findings suggest that warming can have a surprisingly large impact on suicide risk, and that counts for both our understanding of mental health and what we should expect when temperatures continue to warm up."
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