According to research reviews in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, asthma and allergy sufferers are at threat by global warming.

The review explains that a warmer climate means more plants and therefore more pollen. Global warming will lead to earlier blooms in spring and longer autumn allergens such as ragweed and mugwort. And higher temperatures will provide ideal conditions for aggravating asthma due to higher air pollution, more ozone and increased wildfires which would worsen air quality.

“People with allergies and/or asthma are at risk of worsening disease, more symptomatic days, and reduced quality of life as a result of these environmental changes,” writes Katherine Shea of the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina.

Last month a report published by the Environmental Protection Agency stated that asthma was on a list of possible health risks from global warming.

“We need champions throughout the world who will work to put protecting human health at the centre of the climate change agenda,” writes Shea.

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