Increase in Hay Fever in Recent Years

"Today's pollen season is about three weeks longer than it was 30 years ago, and there is about 20% more pollen in the air,and there is about 20% more pollen in the air,"

Said Dr. Neil Tammara, an otolaryngologist and co-director of the Climate and Health Research Institute at George Washington University. This statistic comes from a study published in 2021. In recent years, climate change around the world has lengthened the time of year when pollen is in the air, resulting in longer-lasting hay fever symptoms. As the Earth's core temperature rises, Neal says, ground snow melts faster, waking trees from their winter slumber and hastening blooms and pollen dispersal. It has also been found that plants and trees produce more pollen as carbon dioxide levels rise.

Cedar and cypress trees planted in Japan after the war when natural forests were cleared have been causing pollen allergies for many Japanese residents for more than 30 years. Although the production of low-pollen saplings has been on the rise in recent years, even now only 50% of the total amount is produced. Even if all saplings to be planted in the future are switched to low pollen content, pollen allergy will continue to affect people for 50 years until the saplings planted last year are cut down.

References

• Adults are getting allergies for the first time. Thanks, climate change.
• 花粉症対策と森林資源維持の両立のために