Allergies to Worsen in the Face of Climate Change
Posted by Kelly Smith on Tue, Apr 20, 2010
There are many
different ways in which climate change can affect human health. Respiratory diseases, heat-related illnesses, and infectious diseases are just a few of the problems that correlate with a changing climate. As carbon dioxide emissions from sources such as coal power plants and car exhaust increase, these health problems will also increase. The National Wildlife Federation has just released a
report which projects that one specific negative effect of climate change is an increase in problems for 25 million American allergy and asthma sufferers.
As the climate changes, spring comes earlier each year. According to a recent Time magazine
article, "Spring-like conditions in the East are already arriving on average 14 days earlier than just 20 years ago." With a longer growing season, it stands to reason that plants have more time to produce pollen. A warmer climate is also more favorable to the spread of trees which produce more pollen as species are able to spread north and expand their ranges. The southeastern United States is currently the worst area for allergy sufferers in the U.S., but this area will expand as plants that cause more allergic problems, such as oaks and hickories, expand their habitats.
But those are not the only effects of climate change. Some plants will actually produce extra pollen as a result of increased carbon dioxide concentrations in the air. Ragweed gives a prime example of this phenomenon. Ragweed pollen is projected to both double in volume and almost double in allergenic intensity in the next 75 years if carbon dioxide emissions continue to grow at their current rate.