Climate change increases 'domestic violence’ risks for women, Washington Post claims
'Sexual harassment, mental and physical abuse, femicide' also tied to climate change, one expert told the Post
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Washington Post used the suffering of abused women in Asia and Africa to argue that "more frequent and intense extreme weather events have led to escalating threats against women and girls."
"Heat waves, floods, climate-induced disasters increase sexual harassment, mental and physical abuse, femicide, reduce economic and educational opportunity and increase the risk of trafficking due to forced migration," Terry McGovern, an expert on "Population and Family Health," told The Post.
The Washington Post's tweet of the article soon received backlash on Twitter, with reporter Tatjana Pasalic responding to the article by tagging the CEO of The Babylon Bee, a conservative satire site. "damnit @SethDillon," she wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}PETE BUTTIGIEG BROUGHT HUSBAND CHASTEN ON MILITARY AIRCRAFT TO ATTEND SPORTING EVENT IN NETHERLANDS
WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 22: People by a PETA cow protesting the raising of animals for food and its effects on climate change at PETA's Go Vegan To Go Green Protest at 601 Pennsylvania Ave on October 22, 2010 in Washington DC. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/WireImage) jail image: istock
The article used McGovern and other "scientists" to contend that domestic violence was closely linked to climate change. And the problem was global in scale, according to The Post.
"For these and many other women around the world, the threat of violence could become more common as climate change makes extreme weather events more intense and frequent."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The liberal media has taken flack in recent weeks for raising the stakes on climate rhetoric, with one New York Times columnist recommending that mating "with shorter people" could help save the planet from destruction.
NEW YORK TIMES MOCKED FOR ESSAY ON SHORT PEOPLE BEING BETTER FOR THE PLANET: 'RIDICULOUS'
Paul Ehrlich, author of "The Population bomb" appeared on "60 Minutes." (CBS)
"60 Minutes" rang in the New Year with a segment featuring the disgraced author and biologist behind "The Population Bomb," a book that predicted four billion would die from starvation by 1989.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The "doomsday celebrity," as CBS host Scott Pelley called biologist Paul Ehrlich, took to Twitter to whine about the "right-wing" backlash against his "60 Minutes" appearance.
"If I'm always wrong so is science, since my work is always peer-reviewed, including the POPULATION BOMB and I've gotten virtually every scientific honor. Sure I've made some mistakes, but no basic ones."
The tweet was soon eviscerated online by a collection of journalists and even YouTuber Hank Green.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Podcast host Noah Blum mocked Ehrlich’s tweet, summing up his argument. "I’m not wrong. Source: me."
'60 MINUTES' USES FAILED DOOMSDAY BIOLOGIST TO PREDICT 'MASS EXTINCTION' OF HUMANITY
The Washington Post later undermined its warnings of climate change fueling abuse because it wasn’t totally scientific.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Unlike the hard science of climate change, they said, the complex drivers of violence cannot easily be captured in numbers."
As a result, the article explained, multiple "academics, activists and humanitarian workers said the links between violence against women and extreme weather events need more research."
FILE - Emissions from a coal-fired power plant are silhouetted against the setting sun in Independence. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
And a final concession from the Post: "Scientists emphasize that extreme weather events do not cause domestic or gender-based violence, but instead exacerbate existing pressures or make it easier for perpetrators to carry out such violence."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News’ Scott Whitlock and Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.