Climate change is fueling a surge in rat populations across major US cities, with Washington, DC, seeing the worst increase over the past two decades, a new study said.The study published by Science Advances on Friday,

A new study is the first to link rising temperatures with booming rat populations in cities around the world. Rising seas, intensifying droughts, worsening floods — these are well-known effects of climate change, the consequences of pumping too much heat-trapping pollution into the air.

Winters are getting warmer and shorter as the climate changes. That's helping rat populations grow in several U.S. cities.