It is well known that global warming poses one of the biggest threats
to humanity, yet never have we thought it would act as a form of
contraceptive. According to a new study, hot weather can be linked to a drop
in ‘coital frequency’, which in turns leads to a drop in birth rates. In other words, as temperatures increase, people are less enthusiastic about having sex.
The report, carried out by the National Bureau of Economic Research,
studied fertility and temperature data over an 80 year period in the
U.S.
It found that when the weather reached 26.6°C or higher, the birth rate dropped in the following months. The ‘extra hot days’ led to a 0.4 per cent drop in birth rates and in
subsequent cooler periods, the birth rate did not fully bounce back,
with only 32 per cent of the gap closing up.
This news could prove worrying for countries such as China, which
recently abandoned its one-child policy for two children per family.
Speaking to
the Independent,
the report’s author, Alan Barreca, said: ‘Although the study relates to
the US, the consequences are likely to be even more pronounced in the
developing world, while the effect in the UK is likely to be similar to
North America.
‘The decline in birth rates is a very serious issue for countries,
like the United States and the UK, which have below-replacement birth
rates.
He added: ‘This will put a lot of strain on social insurance
programmes, like social security, because it will create large
imbalances in the make-up of the population.’
We better start taking advantage of winter
