Allergy Season is Only Getting Worse

It seems like every year we hear the same thing about how this allergy season is the worst yet, but in reality, it is only getting worse. Pollen counts have actually gone off the charts recently, making the allergy season in certain areas last longer than usual. This is a direct result of climate change, with the rise of temperatures over the years, and also a resulting rise in carbon dioxide.

Currently the only concern for the increase of pollen are the ragweeds, but of course, scientists are still concerned about other forms of pollens. Smithsonian stated, “Ragweed is not the only species of concern. Tree pollen, grass pollen, and molds are all major allergy triggers, all of which are expected to double by 2040. This year is already off to a pretty apocalyptic start with images of dense pollen clouds over North Carolina making the rounds and Chicago bracing for a bad allergy season.” They predict that ragweeds will reach a height of up to 10–20 feet by 2050. These plants average around 5- 6 feet which would also mean that they are producing more than double the amount of pollen on average.

As someone who has terrible allergies, this is a horrifying fact. With this rise, we will also see a rise in stronger medications and solutions to said allergies, but those can only do so much and they tend to take years to actually take effect. With that being said, the only real solution is to reduce greenhouse gasses because after some time our bodies will get used to all of the medication that will need to be pumped into people with bad allergies. I personally have gone through numerous amounts of allergy medications that worked for a short period, but it never really stuck with me as my allergies continued to get worse.