Australia is the hay fever capital of the world almost one in five Australians suffer from the allergy. Experts predict those numbers will soar in coming years due to the impact of climate change, as pollen seasons grow longer and more powerful.
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00:00 Daily life is no stroll in the park for allergy and asthma sufferer Caitlin Ross.
00:07 My symptoms have gotten worse, especially in the last five or six years.
00:11 It's been the most noticeable.
00:13 Every year is a new unprecedented year.
00:15 But experts say allergy seasons are becoming more severe.
00:20 We're seeing flowering of certain types of plants becoming earlier in springtime.
00:26 We're seeing that the pollen seasons are extending for longer.
00:31 Researchers say people with allergies will have to endure more frequent bushfires and thunderstorm asthma events due to climate change.
00:38 And more carbon dioxide in the air means pollen is becoming more potent.
00:43 The amount of pollen produced per plant is also increased, particularly for grasses, at elevated levels of carbon dioxide.
00:52 80% of asthmatics also have hay fever.
00:56 Research from the Peak Body shows a clear trend.
00:59 What we found was 91% of people with asthma are very concerned about the impacts of climate change.
01:07 And what's more, 25% of people said they are already feeling the impacts on their health.
01:13 For Caitlin Ross, it's hard to imagine her allergies getting any worse.
01:20 To be told that I am already at that top end of the scale, to then have the prospect of it being worse than it already is, that's terrifying to me.
01:31 The number of Australians who experience hay fever is forecast to grow by 70% by 2050, meaning millions more people will have to manage allergies of their own.
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