No, your (itchy, red) eyes are not deceiving you — allergy season is getting worse, and climate change is to blame.
Pollen counts are already higher than they’ve ever been, and not only will they increase, but the season will get longer as well, experts say.
Researchers recently found that pollen seasons are starting about 20 days earlier than they used to, William Anderegg, assistant professor of ecology at the University of Utah’s School of Biological Science, told ABC News.
In addition, there is 20 percent more pollen in the air right now than there was in the 1990s, Anderegg said. By 2040, pollen counts are expected to double from what they were in 2000, Fatteh added.
Human-caused climate change is responsible for more than 50% of the long-term trend of pollen season getting longer and pollen counts getting higher, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in February, co-authored by Anderegg, found.
The study found that of the three seasonal pollen irritants — trees, grasses and weeds — trees saw the most increase in pollen.
There is also evidence to suggest that the pollen itself is more allergenic, said Amir Sapkota, a professor at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health who specializes in how climate change affects human health.
“This trend will continue into the foreseeable future,” Sapkota told ABC News. “This is only going to get worse. If you happen to be somebody suffering from allergies, this is not a good thing.”