Crime, including violent crime, has been associated with higher temperatures in the USA . Studies of crime statistics in the USA have revealed a relationship between temperature and a range of violent crimes including aggravated assaults, rapes and homicides; effects for property crimes are weaker  . These effects have been observed in US urban centres  and more generally across the USA . Differential effects have also been observed within urban areas. Observed higher rates of domestic and intimate partner violence during periods of high heat in less affluent neighbours in Los Angeles have been associated with disparities in access to air conditioning and greenery . By contrast, Lynch et al.  found no significant correlation between annual homicide rate and annual temperature for New York City . For Mexico, Burke et al.  found temperature linkages with intergroup killings by drug-trafficking organisations, homicides and suicides. No linkages between temperature and crime have been reported for Canada. Differences in spatial and temporal aggregation of the crime statistics as well as in the measure of climate change or variability explain some of the differences between studies. Several causal pathways can explain these relationships . The dominant theory is that weather changes result in changes in behavioural patterns that lead to more opportunities for crimes. For example, studies that disaggregate by month often report significant positive associations between temperature anomalies and violent crime , particularly in the cold season . Smaller increases in crime during positive warm-season temperature anomalies may be due to people seeking shelter in cooler indoor spaces, decreasing crimes of opportunity .
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report