Is global warming cooling YOUR sex life? Rising temperatures linked to drop in birth rates

  • Hot weather can be linked to a drop in 'coital frequency', report has found
  • Researchers studied 80 years of fertility and temperature data from U.S.
  • It found when weather top 80°F, the birth rate suffers large decline
  • Report recommends using more air conditioning to offset the fertility impact of climate - despite air conditioning being linked to global warming

By Amanda Williams for MailOnline

Published: | Updated:

Noticed a distinct cooling off in your sex life over the summer? It could be down to global warming, a new study has claimed.

Hot weather can be linked to a drop in 'coital frequency' and a subsequent drop in birth rates, a paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research reports. 

Researchers studied 80 years of fertility and temperature data from the U.S. and found that when the weather tops 26.6°C (80°F), the birth rate suffers a large decline in the months that follow.

It's getting hot in here: Hot weather can be linked to a drop in 'coital frequency' and a subsequent drop in birth rates, a paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research reports (stock image pictured)

It's getting hot in here: Hot weather can be linked to a drop in 'coital frequency' and a subsequent drop in birth rates, a paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research reports (stock image pictured)

These 'extra hot days' lead to a 0.4 per cent drop in birth rates, the economists said, and in the following, cooler periods, the birth rate does not bounce back, making up only 32 per cent of the gap, Bloomberg reports. 

The study, carried out by Tulane University, the University of California-Santa Barbara, and the University of Central Florida, goes on to predict that if nothing is done about climate change, the U.S. will experience 64 more days above 26.6°C (80°F) between 2070 and 2099,  than in the period from 1990 to 2002, which had 31.

The research assumes that climate change will proceed according to the most severe scenarios, with no substantial efforts to reduce emissions. 

The scenario they use predicts that from 2070 to 2099, the U.S. may have 64 more days above 80°F than in the baseline period from 1990 to 2002, which had 31.

Not tonight, dear: Researchers studied 80 years of fertility and temperature data from the U.S. and found that when the weather tops 80°F, the birth rate suffers a large decline in the months that follow

Not tonight, dear: Researchers studied 80 years of fertility and temperature data from the U.S. and found that when the weather tops 80°F, the birth rate suffers a large decline in the months that follow

They predict this could result in a 2.6 per cent decline in the U.S. birth rate, meaning 107,000 fewer deliveries a year.

The paper concludes: 'This dynamic adjustment helps explain the observed decline in birth rates during the spring and subsequent increase during the summer. 

'The lack of a full rebound suggests that increased temperatures due to climate change may reduce population growth rates in the coming century. 

'As an added cost, climate change will shift even more births to the summer months when third trimester exposure to dangerously high temperatures increases.'

But bizarrely, the report actually recommends using more air conditioning to offset the fertility impact of climate - despite air conditioning units being widely linked to global warming. 

The authors add: 'Based on our analysis of historical changes in the temperature-fertility relationship, we conclude air conditioning could be used to substantially offset the fertility costs of climate change.'

'CLIMATE CHANGE PLANS DON'T GO FAR ENOUGH': UN WARNS THAT NATIONAL PLEDGES MUST GO FURTHER TO PREVENT WARMING OVER 2°C

National plans designed to limit climate change do not go far enough to keep global temperatures from rising by more than the 2°C (36°F) danger threshold, officials say.

The United Nations (UN) has assessed the plans of 146 countries, to conclude that total carbon emissions will continue to grow, albeit at a slower rate than the past two decades.

However, the report says national initiatives leave the ‘door open’ to capping global warming below the danger threshold.

National plans designed to limit climate change do not go far enough to keep global temperatures from rising by more than the 2°C danger threshold, officials say. A stock image of a melting iceberg near Norway is shown

National plans designed to limit climate change do not go far enough to keep global temperatures from rising by more than the 2°C danger threshold, officials say. A stock image of a melting iceberg near Norway is shown

National plans designed to limit climate change do not go far enough to keep global temperatures from rising by more than the 2°C danger threshold, officials say. A stock image of a melting iceberg near Norway is shown

It has been released a month ahead of crunch talks in Paris, where the UN believes the plans, known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), will form the foundation of a binding global treaty on climate change.

Its assessment is arguably optimistic about the plans, despite saying that in their current form, global temperatures look set to rise 2.7°C (37°F) above pre-industrial levels.

Scientists have previously warned that if temperature rises exceed 2°C (36°F), the planet could be subject to more extreme weather, droughts and flooding, which could hit poor countries especially hard.

While the report says INDCs will bring down per capita emissions by nine percent by 2030, it notes the overall amount of carbon in the atmosphere will continue to grow over the next 15 years.

The United Nations (UN) has assessed the plans of 146 countries, to conclude that total carbon emissions will continue to grow, albeit at a slower rate than the past two decades. A stock image of a smoke stack is shown

Overall emissions could be as much as 22 per cent higher in 2030 when compared to 2010 levels, the UN says.

 

 

 

 

  

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