Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increase in violent crime
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Re: Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increase in violent crime
#2Yes violence increases in animals too if the environmental stress (biotic and abiotic) ratchets up. It stands to reason the same applies to humans although we have more conscious control over our responses but we don't often exercise them unless we're aware. These are all subtle mechanisms by which destabilising effects can cascade and proliferate. This is why ecologists and conservationists warned against unrestricted exploitation and an appeal to the assurance of science and technology rescuing us out of the resulting mess, but this is exactly the path we're down on.
Re: Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increase in violent crime
#3The main problem I see with this study is that it could be confounded by the fact that high air pollution areas have other problems too that could be causing the bad behaviour instead, like overcrowding, noise, frustration at slow traffic, etc.
Re: Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increase in violent crime
#4Re: Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increase in violent crime
#5The main problem I see with this study is that it could be confounded by the fact that high air pollution areas have other problems too that could be causing the bad behaviour instead, like overcrowding, noise, frustration at slow traffic, etc.
That was my very first thought before I even read the article or clicked on HN comments ...
Re: Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increase in violent crime
#6Political so will probably get flagged..
Re: Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increase in violent crime
#7The main problem I see with this study is that it could be confounded by the fact that high air pollution areas have other problems too that could be causing the bad behaviour instead, like overcrowding, noise, frustration at slow traffic, etc.
Reminds me of one of the prototypical sociological study examples of correlation vs causation where something akin to icecream sales correlated highly with murder rates.
The fact air pollution, in many cases, directly correlates with population density, make the results seem less surprising. It would be more interesting if less populated areas with high air pollution (perhaps near industrial plants, etc.) had a high correlation to violent crime rates in conjunction with highly dense populated areas.
Re: Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increase in violent crime
#8The main problem I see with this study is that it could be confounded by the fact that high air pollution areas have other problems too that could be causing the bad behaviour instead, like overcrowding, noise, frustration at slow traffic, etc.
You'd think it would be fairly easy to control for population density. However the study abstract indicates the only other confounding variable they controlled for was 'temperature'.
EDIT: And the link between cities and higher crime seems to be well known and well studied. Here's what a quick google turns up: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/250109?seq=1#metadata_i...
Re: Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increase in violent crime
#9From the Abstract - >"We find a robust positive effect of increased air pollution on violent crimes, and specifically assaults, but no relationship between increases in air pollution and property crimes." https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00950...
Paywalled paper from an Elsevier journal.
Re: Exposure to air pollution is linked to an increase in violent crime
#10https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_cau...
FTFA:
> Correlation is not causation of course (there may, for example, be a third variable affecting both pollution and crime) and the authors are cautious not to speculate about the precise mechanism by which contaminated air might lead to more rapes or robberies.