Pollen season in UK and mainland Europe extended by climate breakdown

Research finds global heating has already lengthened the pollen season in addition to worsening heatwaves and droughts

Climate breakdown has extended the pollen season in the UK and mainland Europe by between one and two weeks since the 1990s, a study has found, adding itchy eyes and runny noses to the harm wrought by fossil fuel pollution.

The finding may be less dramatic than the floods and wildfires typically associated with a warming planet but represents a “huge” increase in the combined suffering of tens of millions of people, the researchers say.