Climate change is supercharging fall allergies » Yale Climate Connections

Transcript:

As summer ends and fall begins, tens of millions of Americans will feel a tickle in their nose.

Fall allergies can cause sneezing, runny noses, and itchy, watery eyes.

And climate change could make fall allergies last longer every year.

The main cause of fall allergies is ragweed. Ragweed plants can each produce up to a billion tiny grains of pollen every year, which can spread for hundreds of miles on the wind.

As the climate warms, ragweed plants in many areas are living longer and producing pollen later into the fall.

In Minneapolis, for example, the pollen season now lasts more than a month longer than it did in 1970.

Researchers have also found that burning fossil fuels and adding more carbon pollution to the atmosphere could worsen fall allergies.

Studies show that when there’s more carbon dioxide in the air, some ragweed plants grow bigger and create more pollen. And the pollen they produce is especially potent and can trigger a stronger allergic response.

People with ragweed allergies can ease their suffering by keeping the windows shut, using an air filter and taking allergy medicine.

But as the climate continues to warm, fall allergies will likely get worse.

Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media