Here's how climate change is already affecting your health, based on the state you live in
Climate change is already beginning to wreak havoc upon the planet. In the short term, we're facing more winter storms, miserably hot summers, and a longer allergy season. In the long term, entire coastlines will likely disappear, threatening communities and wildlife.
On a more local level, experts say the US will be unrecognizable in 100 years.
But just how is all of this affecting you - your state, your coastline - right now?
A new report from the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health reveals that different geographic regions in the US are facing a range of effects, many of which are already taking shape today. Some of them are as geographically specific as to affect only one state.
Check out how your area stacks up:
Here are a few of the changes the report outlines:
Heat, heat, heat
Climate change lengthens summer months and makes them hotter and more humid. During these episodes, it's more likely that people will suffer heat-related illness like heat stroke or dehydration. People most at risk include those who works outdoors, student athletes, pregnant women, and people without access to air conditioning.
Some medications, including antipsychotics, also interfere with our body's natural ability to regulate its temperature, so people using these drugs are also at a heightened risk.
Erratic weather
Dirtier air
Allergy seasons are already getting worse as a result of air pollution. Why? Carbon dioxide, one of the primary drivers of climate change, makes plants grow faster and increases the amount and potency of their pollen. Rising temperatures also lengthen allergy season, and drier, warmer conditions increase wildfire risk, which can exacerbate respiratory conditions like asthma.
