Flora and Fauna Issues During the past century, average temper- atures have increased between 1.3 and 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit, with annual increases accelerating in recent years as 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017 all set records for ambient heat. Such rising temperatures, combined with increased rain and record- high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, can have a significant impact on plants—both those that irritate or nourish us, says Howard Frumkin, a medical doc- tor who co-authored the Lancet report and teaches environmental and occupational health sciences at the University of Washington, in Seattle. Wild, allergy-inducing plants
like ragweed and poison ivy are flourishing. Poison ivy is grow- ing faster, larger and more toxic as excess carbon prompts it to produce more of its rash-inducing compound, urushiol. “We are seeing the season for ragweed
productivity expanding, with pollen levels rising higher and earlier and lasting longer by several weeks,” advises Frumkin. In 2016, residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota, endured a ragweed season that was 21 days longer than in 1990. Other, desirable crops, like grains, do worse in hotter carbon-rich climes, producing less protein and other nutrients, Frumkin notes. Meanwhile, bugs are thriving,
with longer seasons and wider ranges in which to reproduce. Mos- quitoes’ capacity to transmit dengue fever—the world’s fastest-growing mosquito-borne illness—has risen by 11 percent since 1950, more than half of that just since 1990, accord- ing to the Lancet report. Further, the tick that carries Lyme disease is now present in 46 percent of U.S. counties, up from 30 percent in 1998. “My physician colleagues used to treat two or three cases a month during tick season,” says Dr. Nitin Damle, a physician at South County Internal Medicine, in Wakefield,
Rhode Island. “Now each of us sees 40 to 50 new cases each season.”
Heat Pollution Rising heat can also aggravate lung condi- tions because it promotes the production of ozone, a major lung irritant. With prolonged heat oſten come wildfires. When one burned for three months in North Carolina in a recent summer, researchers discovered that residents of counties affected by the smoke plume showed a 50 percent increase in emergency trips due to respiratory illness. Like Isaac, more kids are ending up
in hospitals due to soaring temperatures, with U.S. emergency room visits for heat illnesses up by 133 percent between 1997 and 2006. Ahdoot recalls a young football player from Arkansas that showed signs of weakness and fatigue during practice, but wasn’t treated right away. He ended up with heat stroke, kidney failure and pulmonary edema and ultimately required kidney dialysis. “Every summer now, I see
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