Climate change is nothing to sneeze at

Since moving to Iowa nearly 40 years ago, I have discovered so many things I appreciate about living here. Affordable housing. The quality public education my three children received. Uncrowded roadways. Low crime rate. The bald eagles that populate the Mississippi and inland waterways in the winter. The lush green-filled landscapes. And, of course, Hawkeyes football, basketball, and wrestling. (Apologies to my friends at ISU.)

Things I don’t appreciate? Yeah, winters can get pretty cold and summers can be pretty hot and humid, but I’ve adapted to these disagreeable occurrences.

But one thing I have not adapted to and that I definitely don’t appreciate is the annual assault of pollen allergies I had never suffered before making Iowa my home. The sneezing. The itching eyes. The runny nose. In a word, the “misery” I share with about a half million fellow Iowans.

Now, thanks to climate change, our misery is rapidly becoming worse. Here’s how.

First, the warming of the planet is extending allergy season, meaning Iowans, like most other Americans, are experiencing more days of pollen exposure. About 20 more days than we experienced in 1990. According to newly published research, pollen season is projected to start up to an additional 40 days earlier by the end of the century. This alone is bad enough news for allergy sufferers, but there’s more.

The same increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration that is driving global warming is also boosting plant growth. This means more pollen in our noses, eyes, and lungs — 21 percent more than 30 years ago — and with it, more suffering. The fact the humans are pumping some 140 millions tons of carbon dioxide into earth’s atmosphere every day virtually guarantees that these pollen counts will only get worse.

As a quick aside, this boost in plant growth is not good news for the plants we eat. Why? Because accelerated growth yields less nutritious crops that will require us to eat more — and presumably spend more — to gain the same nutritional benefits.

Of course, Iowa farmers — many of whom also share my pollen-caused misery — regard the increasingly intense droughts and floods climate change is causing to be of far greater concern. After all, allergy sufferers can buy a bottle of pills to mitigate their symptoms. No such pill exists to alleviate the great hardships, including enormous financial losses, global warming is visiting on our farming families.

For them, the impacts of climate change definitely are nothing to sneeze at.

Jonas Magram is a longtime climate activist, businessman, community volunteer and musician. He lives in Fairfield.