Global Warming as a Precursor for Crimes

Most commentaries on global warming concentrate almost exclusively on its possible effects on the proliferation of disease, droughts and rising sea levels. Nicholas Kristof writes this fine piece for the NYT and highlights the unforeseen consequences of drastic climate change. Drawing from separate studies by Edward Miguel and Emily Oster, he posits that vulnerable women in most low-income societies may suffer from violence and homicide.

These studies show that people with low political power who also suffer from discrimination are even more vulnerable in predominantly agricultural societies.The studies are interesting because they suggest a common cause for the witchcraft trials in Western Europe and the execution of elderly women in Tanzania more recently. To my mind, the principles that are applicable show that in periods of scarcity, elimination becomes more attractive and the lack of stable institutions exposes the politically weak to such elimination. Lynchings witnessed three centuries apart had a very subtle but real economic motivation.