What is so Rare as a Day in June – James Russell Lowell
And what is so rare as a day in June?
Then, if ever, come perfect days;
Then Heaven tries the earth if it be in tune,
And over it softly her warm ear lays:
Whether we look, or whether we listen,
We hear life murmur, or see it glisten;
Once, across much of the the world’s temperate zones, we looked forward to summer as a time of delights, from summer’s bounty of fruits, long days, warmth, school holidays, activities like camping and swimming, travel and adventure. Now many of us dread it.
Summer was the sweet season celebrated in poetry and song, often pictured as a gentle goddess; now it is too often a threat and a misery. All this makes me think of Bill McKibben’s 2011 book Eaarth, a proposal that we can understand climate change as equivalent to moving to a more perilous, unwelcoming planet than the gentle, stable one we evolved over the 12,000 years since the last ice age.
I know that there are parts of the world where summer was already harsh, intense – 20 years ago, my friend Mark Klett, a photographer living near Phoenix, Arizona, joked: “Phoenix has two seasons: summer and hell,” summer being January and February; hell being the rest of the year.
But even in Phoenix, summer is now more intense; there, people get severe burns from falling down on superheated asphalt. It’s changed everywhere.
From Little League tournaments to preseason football practices, young athletes often play outside on hot summer days. And as the climate warms, they’re increasingly at risk of heat-related illness.
Jessica Murfree, an assistant professor of exercise and sport science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, says kids in some communities are more vulnerable than others.
The dangers are often greatest in cities, because concrete and asphalt absorb heat.
Murfree: “We can experience much higher temperatures in these areas than others that have more green spaces.”
And she says youth sports teams often lack resources to help keep kids safe, like cold water immersion tubs to use in an emergency or professional athletic trainers who are experts in player safety.
Murfree: “Their presence alone can be such a luxury, and not every child has access to those things.”
In low-income areas, teams may also lack access to air-conditioned buildings, so they cannot move inside on extremely hot days.
For generations, summer in Montana has meant long days outdoors. Children spent afternoons riding bicycles through quiet neighborhoods, swimming in lakes and rivers, hiking forest trails, and playing baseball past sunset. Families planned camping trips months in advance, double-checking that they had all the fishing, paddling, and tenting gear they needed to sleep in cool mountain air under clear skies. For generations, summer in Montana has meant long days outdoors. Children spent afternoons riding bicycles through quiet neighborhoods, swimming in lakes and rivers, hiking forest trails, and playing baseball past sunset. Families planned camping trips months in advance, double-checking that they had all the fishing, paddling, and tenting gear they needed to sleep in cool mountain air under clear skies.
Today, many parents instead check the Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index before deciding whether their children can play outside at all.
As wildfire season becomes longer and more severe across the American West, smoky skies have become an increasingly familiar part of summer. In Montana, where wildfire has always been part of the landscape, summer now includes days or even weeks when children are advised to stay indoors because the air outside is unhealthy.
Scientists have documented the growing health risks of wildfire smoke, particularly for children whose lungs are still developing.
But pediatricians and researchers say the consequences extend beyond children’s lungs. A 2024 UNICEF report found that wildfire smoke affects not only children’s respiratory health but also their learning, mental well-being, and opportunities for play, warning that repeated smoke exposure can shape childhood in lasting ways.