Climate change to make pollen season nastier – The Boston Globe
Climate change has already made allergy season longer and pollen counts higher, but the worst for sufferers may be yet to come.
Climate scientists at the University of Michigan looked at 15 plant pollens in the United States and used computer simulations to calculate how much worse allergy season will likely get by the year 2100. It’s enough to make allergy sufferers even more red-eyed.
As the world warms, allergy season will start weeks earlier and end many days later — and it’ll be worse while it lasts, with pollen levels that could as much as triple in some places, according to a study Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.
Warmer weather allows plants to start blooming earlier and keeps them blooming later. Meanwhile, additional carbon dioxide in the air from burning fuels such as coal, gasoline, and natural gas helps plants produce more pollen, said study coauthor Allison Steiner, a University of Michigan climate scientist.
Read more at bostonglobe.com/2022/03/15/nation/climate-change-make-pollen-season-nastier/