If there was ever research that could turn climate skeptics into card-carrying members of the “save the planet” club, it’s this: New research from three prominent universities has found that warming temperatures will eventually end up cooling things off in the bedroom.
In research put out by the National Bureau of Economic Research, scientists from the University of California-Santa Barbara, Tulane University, and the University of Central Florida analyzed 80 years worth of US fertility and temperature data. What they discovered, according to Bloomberg, is that higher temperatures are followed by a decline in birth rates eight to 10 months later.
Specifically, they reported that additional days above 80 degrees Fahrenheit led to a subsequent large decline in birth rates. That initial decline is followed by a partial rebound in the number of births over the next few months, suggesting that would-be parents are making up for lost time by simply conceiving in cooler months—something global warming could make more difficult.
However, even this fails to make up completely for the loss of rates, as the rebound that occurs makes up for just 32 percent of the discrepancy. “The lack of a full rebound suggests that increased temperatures due to climate change may reduce population growth rates in the coming century,” the authors wrote.
Warming could lead to 100k fewer US births each year
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, studies have shown that higher temperature can also lead to reduced levels of testosterone and reduced semen quality in men, and cause women to experience problems with menstruation, ovulation, and implantation. In short, hot weather not only causes us to want to have less sex, but it reduces the odds of conceiving when we do.
A reduced birth rate could cause economic problems, which Bloomberg suggests may be part of the reason why China recently relaxed its strict one-child-per-family policy and allowed couples to have two kids. A more pressing issue is that infants conceived in autumn and born in summer are less likely to be healthy, possibly due to “third-trimester exposure to high temperatures.”
If climate change continues unchecked, with little to no substantial efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the authors predict that the US will have 64 additional days above 80 degrees in 2070 through 2099. That would result in a 2.6 percent decline in the country’s birth rate—equal to 107,000 fewer babies being born every year.
Their proposed solution? “Based on our analysis of historical changes in the temperature-fertility relationship,” the researchers wrote, “we conclude air conditioning could be used to substantially offset the fertility costs of climate change.”
So, should mankind fail to limit emissions and find a way to reverse climate change, make sure to crank up the AC if you want to get lucky.
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Feature Image: Thinkstock
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