The climate crisis is multiplying the misery people face with allergies, with new research finding that the pollen season in North America is now, on average, 20 days longer than three decades ago.
According to the study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, global temperature increases the period, usually in spring, when pollen is released by plants, trees and grasses.
In an analysis of 60 pollen collection stations in the US and Canada, the pollen season is now on average 20 days longer than in 1990. The season is also becoming more intense, with significantly larger amounts of pollen.
This increase is strongly related to global warming, and the researchers use climate modeling to show that climate change is responsible for at least half of the additional days of pollen activity. There is also evidence that the growing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may in itself help to spur the increase.
“We’re getting warmer winters, warmer fountains and earlier fountains, and that’s driving a lot of this,” said William Anderegg, co-author of the study and a scientist at the University of Utah, who was personally interested in the subject because of his own seasonal hay fever. ‘This is a very clear example that climate change is already here, in essence it is here in every breath. The health consequences are with us and are likely to get worse. ”
Small pollen grains, which are expelled to multiply plants, can cause seasonal allergies in some people, causing sneezing, itchy red eyes and runny nose. Pollen season can also aggravate other conditions, such as asthma, and such ailments have been linked to poor school performance and economic consequences.
Anderegg said the pollen season was likely to extend to other parts of the world as well, although some regions would be limited by water availability. “We do not really know how far it will go, we do not have much pollen monitoring compared to other types of air pollution,” he said, adding that a response to public health could include warnings on high pollen days. and air filters for buildings.
According to Kristie Ebi, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington, the study was the first to attribute the growing pollen season to climate change. “As the climate continues to change, without additional adaptation to prepare for and manage the effects … the number of cases of asthma and allergies due to allergies is expected to increase,” she said.
Aaron Bernstein, an academic at Harvard School of Public Health and a physician at Boston Children’s Hospital, said he is seeing more and more children suffering from allergies and asthma.
“The future is now,” he said. ‘We see the health damage of climate change more clearly every year. The worsening allergy season is one of the many reasons for major climate action, not only to prevent tremendous damage, but also to promote a healthier, fairer one., and sustainable world. ”