Environment

Washington Post -  About a quarter of U.S. adults suffer from seasonal allergies — many experiencing itchy and watery eyes, a scratchy throat and an ever-running nose. Pollen exposure is now lasting longer and intensifying nationwide, data shows, as warmer temperatures take over more of the year. But for some areas, the changes are more dramatic.

The report ranks the top 100 largest U.S. cities by how challenging they were for allergy sufferers to live in last year. These “allergy capitals” are based not only on pollen counts, but also on the use of over-the-counter medication and the number of allergy physicians in the area.

The top cities belonged to the Midwest and Southeast, which are also regions expected to see a lot more pollen as the climate warms. For the third year in a row, Wichita, Kansas, was the most challenging place to live with allergies. New Orleans ranked the second most challenging — jumping up 30 spots from last year — due to a higher weed pollen season probably fueled by moisture from hurricane season and record fall warmth. 

EcoWatch -   In a new report, researchers have ranked global cities for flood and drought risks and determined that some of the biggest cities in the world are facing dangerous climate swings between dry and wet periods. Some cities have seen a total change in their climate, moving from typically dry regions to regions prone to flooding and vice versa, according to the study.

The report, conducted by non-governmental organization WaterAid in collaboration with researchers from the University of Bristol and Cardiff University, investigated the climate trends in the 100 most-populated cities globally as well as 12 cities where the NGO operates.  In total, 95% of the observed cities were experiencing a shift toward wetter or dryer climates, as The Guardian reported.