“When you turn up the temperatures on plants, especially in a controlled setting like a greenhouse, or you increase carbon dioxide concentrations, plants put out quite a bit more pollen,” says William Anderegg, director of the Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy at the University of Utah, who conducted an oft-cited study of pollen trends that found seasons now start 20 days earlier than they did in 1990, and last about 8 days longer. Meanwhile, there’s about 20% more pollen filling the air. “Pollen is a really clear example of how climate change is with us here and now, in our backyards and already affecting our health.”
If you’ve sensed that your allergies are getting worse each year, it’s not your imagination: Allergy season in the U.S. is getting longer and more intense. You can thank climate