It isn't true. We have adapted with SPF 90.
Edit: I guess most of the answerers haven't noticed that sunburns are worse when it is hot. It is kind of funny. I never though of AGW being why we have a Mexican migration northward. I thought it was because of third world banana republic government to the south and idiotic brain dead government to the north in the US.
Gary F, I don't need any lessons on human evolution or UV rays from you. I know that sunburns are caused by UV. I got a sunburn with blisters in 20 minutes on Mt. Rainier and it wasn't that hot and my friend got a bit of snow blindness and that is also caused by UV. Mountains such as Everest are extremely cold and still will burn exposed skin. As someone of mostly Irish ancestry, I have learned the hard way what UV can do. I have undergone photodynamic treatment on three occasions and it isn't done yet. I know it is anecdotal, but I will sunburn much faster on hotter days, but that doesn't mean I won't sunburn on overcast or cool days as well.
As a rough rule of thumb, there are of course exceptions, in the hot climates zones found around the Tropics people tend to be dark skinned, dark haired, tall and slim. Toward the colder regions people are lighter skinner, fairer haired, shorter and plumper.
Skin colour in humans is mainly caused by the presence of a pigment called melanin (it comes from the Greek word ‘melas’ which means black). Melanin protects against harmful ultraviolet rays from the Sun, the more someone is exposed to the Sun the more melanin their body produces and the darker their skin becomes.
Global warming is, as the term suggests, causing an increase in the average global temperature. This isn’t the same as increasing the amount of sunlight. As such, global warming won’t directly cause people to become darker skinned. An indirect consequence could be that people spend more time outdoors enjoying the warmer weather and as a result they become more tanned.
It’s an unfortunate consequence of global warming that the parts of the world that are hardest hit are those countries that are already hot and are amongst the less developed countries, in this respect it means that most of Africa and large parts of Asia will be the hardest hit. Increases in droughts, floods, crop failures, the spread of disease, loss of water sources etc in these countries means that the proportion of black and brown skinned people adversely affected by global warming will be higher than for white people.
The mortality rate in the African and Asian countries will be higher than in the Americas, Europe and Oceania and so proportionately the number of fair coloured people will increase. Bear in mind that we’re talking a fraction of one percent of the global population, so the effect may be noticeable amongst statistics on a computer screen but in the real world the effect will be too small to be noticed.
No, skin color evolved to regulate ultraviolet radiation. It has more to do with sunlight and the ozone layer than temperature.
=====
jim z --
>>I guess most of the answerers haven't noticed that sunburns are worse when it is hot.<<
Yeah, because that is when there are more people exposing more skin for longer periods of time.
Why are sunburns worse at high elevations where temperature decreases about 5 degs / 1,000 feet and uv radiation increases by about 4% / 1,000 feet?
======
jim z --
I feel your pain. I have a standing appointment for Mohs surgery - as do several of my friends. Just the dues you pay for a life as a field scientist.
Naaaaaahhhhgh
Global warming is real but the fair color comes from the genes that your mother or father inherit so fair people will remain being fair
NOT TRUE!!
Skin color is about UV protection and vitamin D absorption not temperature.
Global warming wont effect people based on their color of skin, it will have a huge impact on everyone, not just white people.
This is not true. Skin pigmentation is to help to protect against ultraviolet radiation and not temperature variations.
Global warming is due to increases in longwave radiation. This is not the type of radiation that skin pigmentation is gained to protect against. The type of radiation that it is used to protect against is, as has already been stated, ultraviolet radiation.
http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/edu/k12/....
Trust me; no, global warming won't mean that.
Natural selection would mean that when the temperature rises, more brown people would be selected by nature, and the whites would decrease - True or not?
No,its not true its just that the temp will rise.
You are confusing chromosomes with environment.
God, I sincerely hope not!!! :(
