Climate change impacts mental, physical health for Georgia residents
Heat related illness is one of many climate change impacts to Georgia
Climate change impacts include heart attacks, strokes, and heat exhaustion, particularly for the elderly and those with chronic conditions.
- Climate change is causing the planet to warm, which impacts human health.
- Warming temperatures are causing allergy season to start earlier in the year.
- Increased carbon dioxide leads to more pollen, worsening conditions for allergy sufferers.
As greenhouse gas emissions surround the Earth, they trap the sun’s heat. Because of this, the planet is warming up, and the climate is changing. That is impacting human health in several ways, including more stress from prolonged heat and more runny noses earlier in the year.
“In Georgia, we’re no strangers to warm days,” said Dr. Kathleen May, division chief of allergy immunology and pediatric rheumatology at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. “Georgians, I think, are pretty accustomed to a hot summer. It’s just that the season is going to extend out and you’re going to have more days that are at temperatures above 100 degrees.”
It’s not just the heat. It’s the humidity.
May said it’s not just the rising temperatures that are a concern.
“Because we have high moisture saturation in our environment, that humidity actually magnifies, as we know, the heat impact,” said May. “So it’s very difficult to function or exercise. Think of outdoor workers. It’s very difficult to do that for days on end with extremely high temperatures.”
Finding ways to cool off, whether with air conditioners, misting tents, or cooling centers, not only helps to stave off the immediate heat but also improves a person’s ability to tolerate it, said May.
“Some way to reduce your core body temperature is really the main thing,” she said. “Obviously, heat stroke is an issue. But it’s not just that kind of acute heat situation. It’s more about the stress from the chronic heat and what that could do.”
It might not be a cold causing your runny nose in January
May said climate change is also impacting the allergy season, primarily by starting sooner.
Warming temperatures translate into earlier allergy seasons. In Georgia, allergy season can start as early as January.
Trees are pollinating earlier due to rising temperatures, May said. The pollen counts from 2024 for grass and trees were among the highest reported in spring. And greater “carbon dioxide means more pollen, meaning each plant has more allergy-inducing potential.”
May said more pollen can make things more problematic for allergy sufferers.
For additional information on climate change impacts on human health, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This reporting content is supported by a partnership with several funders and Journalism Funding Partners.
Erica Van Buren is the climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Connect with her at [email protected] or on X: @EricaVanBuren32.
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