The pollen season is getting longer, earlier and more intense as a result of climate change, according to a study published Monday in a journal at the National Academy of Sciences.
Scientists from several universities led by William Anderegg in Rutgers 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 prolongation of pollen seasons (+20 d) and increases in pollen concentrations (+ 21%) in North America, which are strongly coupled with the observed warming,” the study summarizes. Our results reveal that anthropogenic climate change has already exacerbated pollen seasons over the past three decades, with detrimental effects on respiratory health.
“This is a clear example that climate change is here and is in every breath we take,” Anderegg told the Associated Press, which first reported the study.
Scientists around the world have warned that the environment must be limited to warming by 2 degrees Celsius to avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change.
A study published earlier this year indicated that greenhouse gas emissions already in the atmosphere could push the earth above this limit in the next few centuries.
The US has withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement, which agrees to limit heating below 2 degrees Celsius, under the former President Trump
Donald TrumpDOJ will call for the resignation of the majority of US lawyers appointed by Trump: reports that lawyer Trump withdraws the request not to hold the indictment on Saturday Kinzinger in the GOP senate appeals to condemn Trump in the indictment MORE and reintroduced the multinational agreement last month.