A new report by Climate Central, a policy neutral nonprofit, revealed that all U.S. climate regions have seen their freeze-free growing seasons lengthen. This has led to a longer allergy season.
Kristina Dahl, vice president for science at Climate Central, said warming winters lead to earlier blooms in trees and plants. Carbon dioxide also shares the blame.
“With more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere because of human activity and burning fossil fuels, that actually stimulates the growth of a lot of plants,” Dahl said.
Reno is at the top of the list with the freeze-free season increasing by 100 days since 1970.
Dahl said these seasonal shifts are a cause of concern for people’s health.
“If you're stuffed up and sneezing and coughing and itchy in the night, that can affect your sleep. And then when it comes to children, we know that close to 20% of kids in the U.S. suffer from seasonal allergies, and that can be a trigger for asthma,” Dahl said.
However, the health implications differ for marginalized communities.
“People of color in the United States tend to have higher rates of asthma, and a lot of that comes down to exposure to different pollutants and allergens,” Dahl said.
A report from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America revealed that Black and Puerto Rican children are between two to and three times more likely to have asthma than white children.
For children with asthma, Dahl said that minimizing exposure and checking the air quality and allergen forecast before heading outside can help prevent an attack.
However, Reno isn’t the only city experiencing this.
Boise, Idaho, has seen 55 additional days of a freeze-free growing season. And Las Cruces, New Mexico’s increased by 65.
