Not everyone looks forward to the joys of spring. Many people take delight in looking at flower buds revealing their delicate blossoms, but others hate this. This is because pollen from the plants bring allergies like hay fever. Scientists in the USA warned hay fever sufferers that spring has arrived up to four weeks early. The pollen that causes so many symptoms is already causing misery. To make things worse, the warmer weather will make the hay fever season longer. The scientists said the longer hay fever season was not surprising, "given the trajectory our planet is on".

Meteorologists are blaming climate change for the warmer weather. A U.S. weather tracker reported that the winter's average temperature was 2.7 degrees warmer than the 20th century average. Meteorologist Lauren Casey told CNN that climate change is resulting in earlier and longer seasons for plants. This is causing more pollen. She called pollen "the enemy" of people who suffer from allergies. She said pollen can trigger asthma attacks and worsen mold allergies. Another scientist said: "Acting on climate change really does matter for people's health."