PhD Studentship: Rising Temperatures, Rising Tensions: Health implications of climate-linked violence

Climate change impacts on human health through a multitude of pathways, leading to a range of negative health outcomes, such as heat stroke, cardiovascular issues, PTSD, asthma, and vector-borne diseases.

However, violence is usually not classified as a health outcome of climate change though it is established that heat increases aggression, domestic violence, and violent crime which threatens human health. There is likely a gendered dimension to this topic, given that predominantly women are victims of domestic violence.

This PhD project will examine the relationship between climate-induced environmental stressors, in particular heat, and patterns of violence in the UK.

This project will largely use quantitative methods to explore the relationship between climate change and violence. A key component will be secondary data analysis, linking reported incidents of violence with weather data to identify correlations between climate variables (e.g., temperature extremes, humidity) and violent crime incidences, with a particular focus on where they occurred. The research will quantify the health impacts of recorded violence. Additional datasets, such as calls to domestic abuse hotlines, obtainable through Freedom of Information requests will be analyzed to establish connections between climate-related stressors and concerns about violence. A modelling exercise looking at future climate scenarios can also be included.

To complement the quantitative analysis, stakeholder engagement will be conducted through interviews with policymakers, the police, relevant charities and healthcare providers.

The project is suitable to candidates with a wide range of backgrounds such as but are not limited to: climate science, psychology, mathematics, geography, environmental science, law, computer science, public health. Experience in working with large data sets, knowledge of statistics, and some programming expertise is essential.

The project is based in ECEHH, at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall, and may involve visits to stakeholders and project

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