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Climate change extends allergy season

Allergies - Level 4

Not everyone likes the joys of spring. Many people love looking at flowering blossoms, but others hate it. This is because pollen from flowers bring allergies like hay fever. Scientists have warned hay fever sufferers that spring arrived up to four weeks early. The symptoms of pollen is already causing misery. To make things worse, the hay fever season will be longer. The scientists said this was not surprising, "given the trajectory our planet is on".

Meteorologists are blaming climate change. A U.S. weather tracker said the winter's average temperature was 2.7 degrees warmer than the 20th century average. A meteorologist said climate change is resulting in earlier and longer flowering seasons, causing more pollen. She called pollen "the enemy" of allergy sufferers. Pollen can also trigger asthma attacks and worsen mold allergies. Acting on climate change will help people's health.

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Allergies - Level 5

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."

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Allergies - Level 6

Not everyone in the world looks forward to the joys of spring. While many people take delight in observing the glory of newly-formed buds revealing their delicate blossoms, others dread this annual phenomenon. That's because blooming plants bring seasonal allergies like hay fever. The National Phenology Network (NPN) in the USA has warned hay fever sufferers that spring has arrived up to four weeks earlier than usual. The pollen that causes so many symptoms is already causing misery. To make matters worse, the warmer weather will prolong hay fever season. The NPN said: "It's a little unsettling. It perhaps isn't surprising, given the trajectory our planet is on."

Phenologists, climatologists and meteorologists are blaming climate change for the unseasonably warmer weather. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that the U.S. winter's average temperature was 2.7 degrees warmer than the 20th century average. Lauren Casey, a meteorologist with Climate Central, told the CNN news agency that climate change is resulting in earlier and longer seasons for plants, causing a greater prevalence of pollen. She said pollen was "the enemy" of people who suffer from allergies. She said pollen can trigger asthma attacks and aggravate mold allergies. Another scientist said: "Acting on climate change really does matter for people's health."

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25 online activities    |    27-page printable    |    2-page mini-lesson