The pollen season is getting longer, earlier and more intense as a result of a changing climate, according to a study published Monday in a journal of the National Academy of Sciences.
Scientists from several universities led by Rutgers’ William Anderegg examined data from pollen measurements between 1990 and 2018 and found that the pollen season increased by 20 days during that period, while the amount of pollen in the air increased by 21 percent.
“We find widespread progress and extension of pollen seasons (+20 d) and increases in pollen concentrations (+ 21%) in North America, which are strongly linked to observed warming,” the study summarizes. “Our results show that anthropogenic climate change has already exacerbated the pollen seasons over the past three decades with associated adverse effects on respiratory health.”
“This is a crystal-clear example that climate change is here and it’s in every breath we take,” Anderegg told the Associated Press, who first reported the study.
Scientists around the world have warned that the environment must be limited to 2 degrees Celsius warming to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
A study published earlier this year indicated that greenhouse gas emissions already present in the atmosphere could push Earth beyond that limit for centuries to come.
The US has withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement, which agrees to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, below President Trump
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