Effects of Climate Change on Global Crime: 2003-2016 Panel Data Analysis

Nissen, Katie

Publication

Effects of Climate Change on Global Crime: 2003-2016 Panel Data Analysis

Nissen, Katie

Date

2020

Additional date(s)

2020-05-19

Abstract

Climate change is an incredibly pressing issue that is poised to affect the entire global community. While climate change has long had numerous predicted consequences for environmental systems, more research is delving into its impact on human systems. This paper examines the potential effects of climate change on global crime. While this topic has previously been studied on a country or regional level, few analyses employ a global perspective. Using panel data for 139 countries over the period 2003 to 2016, I analyzed the effects of numerous climate change proxies (CO2 emissions, precipitation, electric power consumption, air pollution, and total greenhouse gas emissions) on thefts and burglaries. Additionally, a dummy variable for country vulnerability to climate change was included to see if there are different effects for countries that are more imminently threatened by climate change. Ultimately, the results of numerous models found no evidence of significant effects from climate change on the global crime rate. If these findings are robust, this suggests encouraging evidence to question the body of literature predicting adverse effects of climate change on crime.