“Because of climate change, we’re now seeing an earlier and longer growing season for plants, which of course make pollen,” Casey told CNN. Spring is also known as the growing season, which is when plants begin to bloom once again. How else is climate change affecting allergy season?Ĭlimate change is causing average global temperatures to increase over time, which in turn is shortening winters and extending the spring season. “For people who have been managing seasonal allergies for a long time, they may have already noticed allergy symptoms starting earlier, lasting longer, and being more intense than even a few years ago,” Kenneth Mendez of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America remarked to the Times. Experts warn that the increasing intensity of the allergy season could become a public health emergency in the future. “Pollen can also trigger an asthma attack, which of course is much more serious for people that suffer from asthma,” explained Lauren Casey, a meteorologist with Climate Central, to CNN. Symptoms of hay fever include a runny or stuffed nose, itchy eyes, and skin, and sneezing. About a quarter of adults and 20 percent of children have officially been diagnosed with seasonal allergies, also known as hay fever, writes the Journal. On top of that, “this time of year, even people who don’t have a history of seasonal allergies can be symptomatic,” Yu continues. By the end of the century, the allergy season could be as much as 40 days longer than in recent decades, according to research published in the journal Nature. This pattern is expected to continue because of climate change. “This winter, since it has been somewhat warm, the trees have been pollinating on the earlier side,” Joyce Yu, a pediatric allergist-immunologist, told the Journal.Ī 2021 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that pollen season has increased by approximately 20 days since 1990 and the concentration of pollen in the atmosphere has increased by 21 percent in North America. However, this year’s mild winter has disrupted the usual seasonal schedule, writes The New York Times. These pollutants come from blooming trees and grasses following the winter. Seasonal allergies are usually a result of the body’s response to airborne pollutants like pollen and mold which are more prevalent during the blooming season in spring, per The Wall Street Journal. Why is the allergy season worse this year? Research has shown that climate change is making the North American pollen season worse, much to the chagrin of allergy sufferers. Are your seasonal allergies worse than usual? If your eyes and throat are particularly itchy this year, you’re not alone.
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