The doom and gloom predictions of climate change may be a distant threat in the minds of many, but for those with respiratory issues, it is a very real problem.
Climate change has occurred naturally long before humans were around, but since the time of the Industrial Revolution, humanity has been a driving force behind these shifts in temperature and weather patterns, according to the United Nations.
Used for most of the world’s energy, industrial and transportation needs, fossil fuels, when burned, release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane into Earth’s atmosphere. These emissions trap the heat of the sun, raising temperatures globally.
What this looks like is earlier and longer warm seasons and more frequent extreme heat events, which can lead to complications for everyone, especially people with respiratory illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Alan Harvey, professor of biology at Georgia Southern University, said that more carbon dioxide and longer-lasting warm periods will increase the amount of pollen in the air due to greater plant growth during those times.
While this just means a runny nose for most, a greater pollen count can trigger asthma attacks and cause more people with respiratory illnesses to be hospitalized, according to the CDC. In fact, medical costs related to pollen exceed $3 billion every year.
“If you’re starting just a couple of days earlier every year, and pollen levels are 5% higher than they were the last year, that accumulates pretty drastically over the course of a couple decades,” said Harvey.
Furthermore, when extreme heat events occur, there is a higher concentration of pollutants in the air, which can exacerbate asthma and lead to airway inflammation, according to a team of researchers at the University of Maryland and Maryland’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Lissa Leege, a biology professor at GSU, said that a lot of these respiratory problems come from tropospheric ozone, a pollutant formed when nitrous oxides from vehicle exhaust combine with heat and sunlight.
This ground-level ozone can diminish lung function and could lead to 1,000 to 4,300 additional premature deaths in the United States by 2050 if no action is taken, according to the CDC.
An additional concern with rising temperatures is drought, especially because of the increased frequency of wildfires in dry areas, according to the CDC.
On top of the loss of life and property damage that could occur if a fire breaks out, wildfire smoke contains particulate matter, greenhouse gases and ozone precursors that not only affect the area but locations downwind of the fire. This can increase hospitalizations and medical visits, as well as the dispensing of medicine for asthma, bronchitis, COPD and other respiratory infections.
Another consequence of climate change is rising sea levels, which happens as glaciers and ice sheets melt and water volume expands as it warms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In coastal communities, this can cause “sunny-day flooding,” in which water seeps into homes and other structures leading to problems such as mold growth, said Leege.
Mold can worsen respiratory issues for those allergic if touched or inhaled, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.
While respiratory issues are not the only concern, the effects of climate change have already impacted many who do suffer from them, and this will continue to get worse if no change is made.
However, Leege was adamant that the fight against climate change is not lost if people can band together, though she added that it is now more an issue of adapting to current conditions than fixing the damage that has been done.
This includes planting trees, building sand dunes, which are natural barriers from rising tides, and trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“I can’t give up hope that we as humans can’t turn this around,” said Leege. “We know the solutions to the problem, it’s just the political will to get things done.”
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| Graphic by Joshua Jones |