Global warming is a serious threat to public health. Increased pollen allergy is one of the effects of global warming, leading to a rise in seasonal allergies.

Is Global Warming causing a Rise in Seasonal Allergies?

Is Global Warming Causing A Rise In Seasonal Allergies?

Introduction

Climate change threatens public health tremendously. Although every individual&rsquo;s health is at risk, some groups of people are at a greater risk than others. For example, people who suffer from chronic diseases, like <a href="https://www.merisehat.pk/disease/asthma">asthma</a>, and allergies. Furthermore, people living in slums or lower-socioeconomic communities, senior citizens, pregnant women, and children are at a higher risk compared to healthy young individuals.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has highlighted some ways climate change affects seasonal allergies in their 2022 Allergy Capitals report, which are as follows:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>A cycle is created because of climate change. The global temperature rises, which makes extreme events even worse. The airflow becomes stagnant because of weather changes. This means that the air doesn&rsquo;t move, increasing the ground-level ozone, which is a major reason behind urban smog.</li>
	<li>The air pollution and smog increase the carbon dioxide and that causes the temperature to rise further, re-starting the cycle.</li>
</ul>

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Understanding Link Between Global Warming And Allergies

When the temperature is warmer and there is an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, the plants have longer growing seasons. Their flowering time changes because of this, giving them a chance to create pollen for a longer period. Moreover, the impact of climate change is stronger in urban areas with warmer temperatures and extreme heatwaves. This effect is called the urban heat island (UHI).&nbsp;

UHIs have higher temperatures compared to their surroundings because of more buildings, roads, populations, and less greenery. Hence, at risk people are more susceptible to higher rates of allergies and asthma.&nbsp;

Millions of people already suffer from allergic rhinitis, which is seasonal and the major cause behind it is pollen allergies. If there is a worsening change in the climate count and pollen count, air pollution will get worse. The cycle of climate change is very dangerous and needs to be stopped.

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	<li>
	<h5 dir="ltr">Rise In Seasonal Allergies</h5>
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</ul>

People who suffer from allergies dread the first few warm days of spring because the air fills with pollen from blooming flowers and trees. Furthermore, the climate becomes hotter, and the dreadful season becomes longer.

Higher temperatures worsen allergies<a href="#accordion">[1]</a>. According to research, the spring bloom comes at least forty days sooner if the greenhouse gas emissions remain high. Furthermore, during fall, the grass can release pollen for nineteen days more than usual.&nbsp;

The rise in temperature can also cause some plants, for example, oak and cedar to release pollen, which means the allergy attacks and asthma attacks in people increase. 10% to 30% of the people around the world have pollen-related allergies<a href="#accordion">[2]</a>. Moreover, worldwide sensitisation to IgE antibodies is around 40% of people.

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	<li>
	<h5 dir="ltr">Springtime Blooming Of Flowers Is Earlier</h5>
	</li>
</ul>

Temperature is one of the main blooming signals for most plants, which is usually the warmer spring season. During fall, many of the weeds produce pollen till the winter chill starts and these tiny grains are everywhere in the air or carried around by insects. And, for humans, this means allergies, asthma attacks, and visits to the ER due to the severity of their allergic symptoms.

Some of the plants also get boosted because of higher carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as it acts as a fertilizer. It makes the plants grow bigger and the plants also release more pollen. Although the effects are uncertain, a limited number of plants are affected by high levels of carbon dioxide.

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	<li>
	<h5 dir="ltr">Worsening Allergy Season</h5>
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</ul>

People with allergies are already suffering and experiencing the multiple drastic effects of climate change. Some studies have proven that pollen season has become twenty days longer between the years 1990 to 2018<a href="#accordion">[3]</a>.

Another study has shown that there is also an increase in medical costs per year due to seasonal allergies because pollen has many health consequences for several people. In addition, there are many non-intuitive effects too, for example, losing productivity at work, daily performance, and going about everyday chores.&nbsp;

Climate change can also cause unexpected allergies in some people because when the temperature becomes hotter earlier, plants grow in new locations. Moreover, ragweed will migrate more towards the north because the environment is more suitable. Hence, the timing of allergy season and the location will shift.

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	<li>
	<h5 dir="ltr">Increase In Pollen Allergies</h5>
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</ul>

The dust-like grains that grass and plants produce are pollen. They contain male genetic material that reproduces the plants. The amount of pollen produced is dependent on the growth of the plant. Rising temperature will cause the growth of plants to boost in many areas and this has a great effect on pollen production. However, the temperature is not the only thing of relevance. A rise in carbon dioxide emission is a bigger driver for the increase in pollen in the future.

As the temperature is becoming higher, the growing season will extend and give plants more time for pollen reproduction and emission. Photosynthesis is fuelled by carbon dioxide, which makes the plants grow bigger and more pollen is produced. It has been found that pollen will have a greater impact on the increase in pollen in contrast to high temperatures in the future.

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	<li>
	<h5 dir="ltr">Regional Variation In Pollen Changes</h5>
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</ul>

After looking at fifteen different pollen types, it was concluded that pollination starts from leafy deciduous trees during the later winters and spring. The three top trees that cause allergies are the following:

<ol>
	<li>Alder</li>
	<li>Birch</li>
	<li>Oak</li>
</ol>

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Other trees that can cause allergies include mulberry and many others. The grasses come out during the summers, and it is followed by ragweed in the late summers.&nbsp;

It has also been found that pollen season for a lot of the trees in the Northeast will overlap because there will be a rise in temperature and carbon dioxide emission. This means that unlike before when oak would pollinate first followed by birch pollination, the pollen season will overlap and there is no fixed order for it.

Moreover, in general, the pollen season will move more towards the north instead of the south, because there is a larger increase in temperature in the northern areas.

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	<h5 dir="ltr" style="margin-left:0px !important; margin-right:0px !important">Improved Pollen Forecast</h5>
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The forecast for pollen has a very broad estimate currently and part of the problem is that there aren&rsquo;t many stations for observing pollen counts, especially in third world countries like Pakistan. However, it is important to mention that the&nbsp;Pakistan Meteorological Department&nbsp;does update a daily pollen count for Islamabad, but the information on other cities is limited. Moreover, there aren&rsquo;t any allergy clinics in Pakistan, but this problem is present even in the US, where some states do not have any allergy clinics.

Measuring different types of pollen is a very labor-sensitive job, as a result, the forecast is usually very uncertain. Furthermore, they are mostly based on the part of the station the observation is being done and the weather forecast too.

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	<li>
	<h5 dir="ltr" style="margin-left:0px !important; margin-right:0px !important">Integrated Pollen Forecast</h5>
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</ul>

If a proper model is integrated into forecasting, the pollen forecast will improve. Satellite data will be able to provide an estimate of the ground surveys.&nbsp;

In addition, the influence of temperature when pollen comes out is called the phenology of pollen. This information can be used in combination with meteorological factors, for example, wind, precipitation, and humidity, to figure out the mechanism of how pollen gets into the air. The atmospheric models show how it blows and moves around for creating real-time forecasts.&nbsp;

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All the information can be used to see where pollen may be in space or in time. This will help people dealing with allergies know what is going to be happening in their area.

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There will be a few limitations. For example, scientists are still not aware of the long-term projections of pollen<a href="#accordion">[4]</a>. They don&rsquo;t even know why some plants produce more pollen during some years compared to other years. There is no way to include this in models either. Furthermore, it is not fully clear how plants respond to very high carbon dioxide levels.

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A study conducted in 2021 found that the overall pollen season is twenty days longer in the United States compared to the year 1990. Moreover, the pollen concentrations were increased by up to 21%<a href="#accordion">[5]</a>. The impact of pollen will be much higher in the future, and it will not just be limited to headaches and sniffles. Seasonal allergies influence 30% of the population, while also placing a huge burden on the healthcare system and society at large.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Conclusion

Climate change is an environmental problem and a threat to public health. Although the governments of most countries have plans to reduce this problem, allergy season can get worse because of rising temperatures. It can also become longer, which can cause more allergies and asthma attacks. So, people need to take the necessary preventions to avoid getting affected.

The following steps can be taken if you have severe allergies:

<ul>
	<li>Contact your doctor and ask them for advice on antihistamines, and other over-the-counter allergy medications. If you have asthma and severe allergic reactions, get treatment accordingly.</li>
	<li>Check the air quality index before leaving your house to see the pollution in the air. This will ensure you are protected before you go outside.</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;

[1] Zhang, Y. and Steiner, A.L., 2022. Projected climate-driven changes in pollen emission season length and magnitude over the continental United States. Nature communications, 13(1), pp.1-10.

[2] Schmidt, C.W., 2016. Pollen overload: seasonal allergies in a changing climate.

[3] D’Amato, G., Chong‐Neto, H.J., Monge Ortega, O.P., Vitale, C., Ansotegui, I., Rosario, N., Haahtela, T., Galan, C., Pawankar, R., Murrieta‐Aguttes, M. and Cecchi, L., 2020. The effects of climate change on respiratory allergy and asthma induced by pollen and mold allergens. Allergy, 75(9), pp.2219-2228.

[4] Kurganskiy, A., Creer, S., De Vere, N., Griffith, G.W., Osborne, N.J., Wheeler, B.W., McInnes, R.N., Clewlow, Y., Barber, A., Brennan, G.L. and Hanlon, H.M., 2021. Predicting the severity of the grass pollen season and the effect of climate change in Northwest Europe. Science Advances, 7(13), p.eabd7658.

[5] Anderegg, W.R., Abatzoglou, J.T., Anderegg, L.D., Bielory, L., Kinney, P.L. and Ziska, L., 2021. Anthropogenic climate change is worsening North American pollen seasons. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(7).

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