If you’re not already one of the millions who suffer from seasonal allergies, no doubt you’ve seen the physical manifestation of the threat glazing your car and front porch: pollen! It’s back, Virginia. And scientists believe a warming Earth is making it worse.
“You can’t go kayaking because the water has all the pollen on it," Richmond resident Cassidy Snyder told Radio IQ. "You go outside, instantly you’re tearing up.”
Snyder is describing her and millions of others’ seasonal affliction: allergies brought on by what Chesapeake Bay Foundation scientist Joe Wood described as:
“Many plants form of accomplishing reproduction," Wood told Radio IQ. "You know plants can't move around so they need to essentially broadcast their genetic material”
And Virginia is covered in that genetic material. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Richmond is the 8th worst city to live with seasonal allergies.
And why is the pollen count so high now? It's more than the seasonal nature of plant reproduction, Wood says.
“Climate change. There's been numbers and numbers of studies that suggest that with increasing climate change we see longer growing seasons, we're seeing warmer temperatures," Wood said. "And as a result, plants are responding, and we have a lot longer pollen season and more intense pollen seasons.”
Among possible solutions? Addressing the world's rapidly increasing temperatures with national policies - locally? Wood says planting more trees will help reduce CO2 levels. Let's just hope those with allergies can survive in the meantime.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
