7. The smell of the future

Abstract

How is the climate crisis affecting our sense of smell? ‘The smell of the future’ looks at the effect of chemical changes in the atmosphere and their disruptions to the behaviour of birds, bees, and fish. Humans in highly polluted areas have decreased olfactory function, which can affect mental health. Recent attempts at building artificial noses have met with varying degrees of success. Some of these electronic noses can perform useful functions such as sniffing out diseases. There is no magic solution to loss of smell or smelling things which are not there (phantosmia) but there are some techniques that patients can use to help a lost sense of smell return.