This spring could be the most miserable month ever, for all those with allergies, and the blame can easily be put on climate change.
The planet is getting warmer, and human behavior is responsible. The changing climate has brought early spring, late-ending fall, and large amounts of rain and snow. All of that, combined with historically high levels of carbon dioxide in the air, nourishes the trees and plants that make pollen, and encourages more fungal growth, such as mold, and the release of spores.
Here’s one example. Experts like Leonard Bielory, an allergy and immunology specialist with the Rutgers Center for Environmental Prediction in New Jersey says, that the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and the record-setting blizzard in the U.S dumped massive amounts of precipitation over the region which has promised a robust allergy season. Irresponsible human behavior in developed countries has been fueling the explosion of pollen. "The trees are going to burst of pollen higher than in past years,'' said Bielory, who predicts that pollen counts will increase by 30 percent by 2020 and, "in a perfect test-tube world, will double by 2040 because of climate change.'' (Study: Pollen Counts To More Than Double By 2040). And pollen production is only a tiny small part of the impact that global warming is going to have on allergies and asthma — and our overall health
In other countries like India and China where prolonged heat and drought is experienced, dust will worsen air pollution, exacerbating asthma and other respiratory diseases. Climate change will then affect the insect population too. Insect stings and bites will provoke more fatal allergic reactions as well as the proliferation of such vines as poison ivy which will be way more severe now than that in the past. Current evidence also suggests that climate change will increase the concentration of ground-level ozone, particularly in Western cities, causing an increase in respiratory diseases. In short, if you have allergies or asthma, climate change is going to make you a lot sicker now and in the coming years!!
If you are lucky enough to be free from allergies, don't make the mistake of dismissing them as nothing more than a minor annoyance. Allergies can have a serious impact on the quality of life, and in some circumstances- a bee sting, for example, or if they trigger an asthma attack — they can kill." This is not just a matter of having a runny nose,'' said Jeffrey Demain, director of the Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Center of Alaska. "Allergies affect the ability to go to work and to go to school, and they affect school and work performance. They interfere with playing sports, social opportunities, how well you sleep. ''On average, someone with allergic disorders experiences a quality of life 35 percent less than the general population.
A 2011 study, showed that the ragweed-pollen season has become longer in certain countries in recent years, this points to climate change as the reason why this is happening.
Jatin Singh, CEO of Skymet Weather says, “Stopping human activities that contribute to climate change might help future generations avoid these risks. We can also hope for a new medical breakthrough that will turn off the allergic response.”
