Is the Heat Index Linked to Crime Rates?

It was a sweltering day in Southern California, and I found myself banging the phone down on yet another solar energy solicitation, secretly imagining I was bludgeoning to death this almost daily annoyance. How many times do I tell the same companies I already have solar? Blame it on the heat, shocked telemarketer. But if I can blame my temper on the heat, what about real violence? Do rising temperatures increase the violent crime rate? Back in August of 2013, a group of academics published a piece in The New York Times contending that, yes, higher temperatures make people more violent. Their conclusion was based on what they saw as 60 of the best studies on the relationship between extreme climate and human conflict -- whether interpersonal aggression such as murder or large-scale mayhem such as wars. Studies consistently found higher temperatures associated with more violence, claimed the academics, warning of dire implications given global warming. Certainly, problems with water, food and arable land due to global warming can be catalysts for large-scale conflict, but the link between temperature and interpersonal crime is less supported, even refuted by some data. Frankly, to blame violent crimes on the sun makes as much sense as blaming the moon to me. Yet it's an old and still popular belief that the full moon leads to an increase in violent, irrational acts. It's also an idea not backed by data, except that a 2005 study found over 80% of mental health professionals link lunar cycles to behavior anyway. I guess it's comforting to blame an external force, like the blazing sun or the glowing moon, rather than deal with the fault in our characters or our society. When it comes to crime and climate, I would paraphrase Shakespeare: The fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves. For the article on weather and violence, see http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/opinion/sunday/weather-and-violence.html?_r=0