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.
01:42 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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