Climate crisis linked to rising domestic violence in south Asia, study finds

People walk through a dust storm on a hot day in Uttar Pradesh, India. Rises in average annual temperatures have been linked to domestic violence rates in the country. Photograph: Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images

As deadly heatwaves sweep through cities in India, China, the US and Europe amid the climate crisis, new research has found that rising temperatures are associated with a substantial rise in domestic violence against women.

A study published in JAMA Psychiatry on Wednesday found a 1C increase in average annual temperature was connected to a rise of more than 6.3% in incidents of physical and sexual domestic violence across three south Asian countries.