{"id":9,"date":"2026-11-01T10:42:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T10:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phililovestory.org\/?p=9"},"modified":"2026-11-01T10:42:00","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T10:42:00","slug":"are-heat-days-the-new-snow-days-philsugar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phililovestory.org\/?p=9","title":{"rendered":"Are heat days the new snow days? | PhilSugar"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>(Photo via iStock)<br \/>\nPhoenix is no stranger to blistering temperatures, but it experienced an extraordinary October this year, with temperatures<br \/>\nrising above 100 degrees<br \/>\nfor 21 straight days. This streak sets a new benchmark for the region, marking a level of heat that is unprecedented even for the Southwest.<br \/>\nClimate change continues to warm the planet, creating chaos and displacing people across the globe. Until<br \/>\nrelatively recently<br \/>\n, the U.S. has largely escaped the dire, immediate consequences of climate change, unlike the island nations slowly sinking under rising sea levels or the African countries facing drought or torrential flooding. But despite this relatively privileged positioning, rising average temperatures and an increase in extreme weather are having a palpable impact on an already vulnerable U.S. population:<br \/>\nyoung people<br \/>\n.<br \/>\nStudents experience the impacts of rising average temperatures firsthand. During <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">sugar daddy asking for load<\/a> the summer, only one of the lower<br \/>\n48 states<br \/>\n(North Dakota) had equal average temperatures. Meanwhile, children in cities like Philadelphia, San Francisco, and New Orleans will continue to \u201cface more frequent, longer-lasting, and hotter heat waves\u201d than children just a few decades ago, Scientific American<br \/>\nreported<br \/>\n.<br \/>\nScorching weather<br \/>\ndirectly impacts<br \/>\nyoung people\u2019s growing minds and bodies. More frequent sweating deprives other organs of oxygenated blood, and chronic health conditions are exacerbated by weather conditions. Increased temperatures during the school year also correlate to learning loss among students. Beyond the physical impacts, the youngest generation entering adulthood is now \u201cshouldering a silent crisis of worry and fear,\u201d Prism\u2019s Ray Levy Uyeda<br \/>\nreported<br \/>\n: \u201cKnown more widely as \u2018climate depression\u2019 and \u2018eco-anxiety,\u2019<br \/>\npre-traumatic stress disorder<br \/>\nis growing among young people, researchers say.\u201d<br \/>\nAnd now, not even summer provides the relief it once did for young people.<br \/>\nSummer dangers<br \/>\nSummer vacation used to be a season for students to spend time outdoors, free from worries and the constraints of the school year. It was a time for things that schools can\u2019t always provide, namely unstructured adventure time for children to learn independently or engage with friends in new ways. But over the past decade, summer is now also known for<br \/>\nrecord-breaking<br \/>\ntemperatures and heat waves. This past summer was the Northern Hemisphere\u2019s warmest summer<br \/>\non record<br \/>\n.<br \/>\nWith the rising heat, children spending extended time outdoors can now be a dangerous experience. University of New Hampshire freshman Taylor Barry told Prism that during a summertime soccer practice in 100-degree heat, she experienced heat exhaustion. \u201cI went to the emergency room after I vomited and started shaking uncontrollably,\u201d Barry said. \u201cI was given potassium and sodium supplements to replace the ones that I sweated out during practice\u2026the experience was super scary.\u201d<br \/>\nBarry\u2019s experience is becoming<br \/>\nmore common<br \/>\namong young athletes who do extensive physical activity in the summer months. With the threat of heat illness now constantly looming, summertime stress is also increasing.<br \/>\n\u201cExcessive heat causes changes in emotions and behavior that can result in feelings of higher stress, anger, <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">sugar daddy site comparison Philippines<\/a> irritability, aggression, and fatigue,\u201d according to<br \/>\nBaylor College of Medicine<br \/>\n. Dr. Asim Shah, professor and executive vice chair in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor,<br \/>\nnoted<br \/>\nthat \u201cchildren are a vulnerable population <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">sugar daddy warning signs<\/a> due to their physical and cognitive immaturity\u201d and because \u201cthey are exposed to more pollutants and allergens as they spend more time outdoors.\u201d<br \/>\nSummer camps once provided some relief, but even they are scrambling to pivot in the face of dangerously high temperatures. Camp administrators, counselors, and experts maintain that camps are a great way for kids to develop social skills, learn outside of the classroom, and connect with nature, NPR<br \/>\nreported<br \/>\n. However, operating camps is getting more difficult\u2014and pricier\u2014as access to water and cooling and better preparing staff to take care of young people become bigger challenges.<br \/>\nOne of the most popular cooling methods for children is water-based activities. However,<br \/>\nsummer camps<br \/>\nnow cite insurance and lifeguard costs as surpassing what they can afford to stay open. Summer camps now also have to train counselors for signs of heat-related illness and be more cautious of how much physical activity children engage in during hot summer days.<br \/>\nAdee Cooper, a freshman at South Hadley, Massachusetts\u2019 Mount Holyoke College, said that she now has a \u201clove-hate relationship\u201d with summer. \u201cI have always loved the warmer weather after the winter time, but it became unbearable as our temperatures began to hit over 90 for several days. I remember thinking over 75 was a high temperature when I was younger,\u201d Cooper said.<br \/>\nBroke and in need of fixing<br \/>\nAn estimated<br \/>\n40% of schools were built before 1970<br \/>\n, when extreme weather was less of a concern. Many of these institutions\u2014approximately<br \/>\n13,700 public schools<br \/>\nlargely concentrated in the mid-Atlantic, Great Plains, and Southwest\u2014lack the infrastructure to keep their campuses cool.<br \/>\nResidents in the South, who are typically accustomed to high temperatures and humidity, are finding that their air conditioning systems fail to keep up on hotter days. Lindsey Ivy, a middle school teacher in Florida, said her school air conditioning is often broken, and when it\u2019s not, it\u2019s \u201cset to 75+ [degrees] to \u2018save money.\u2019\u201d<br \/>\nAt the start of this school year in August, schools in<br \/>\nMilwaukee<br \/>\n,<br \/>\ncentral Ohio<br \/>\n, and<br \/>\nDetroit<br \/>\nwere forced to close or end the days early because of inadequate air conditioning. Of the students and educators from across the country who spoke to Prism, none have updated cooling systems at their schools. Between the need for new HVAC<br \/>\ninstallations<br \/>\nacross New England, the Midwest, and the West, and the need for upgrades to existing-but-overworked HVAC systems throughout the South, the increasing number of hot school days will impact most public K-12 students.<br \/>\nExposure to hot weather without adequate cooling can have serious consequences for students. A 2018 Harvard Kennedy School<br \/>\nstudy<br \/>\nbased on student fixed effects models using 10 million PSAT-takers found that a 1-degree Fahrenheit increase in temperature during the school year correlates to a one percent decrease in learning. Black, Hispanic, and low-income students were found to be<br \/>\nthree times<br \/>\nas impacted with learning loss when compared with their white or affluent peers. If average temperatures increase by<br \/>\n3.6 degrees Fahrenheit<br \/>\n, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Wyoming are likely to face the highest amounts of learning loss due to a significant lack of cooling infrastructure in schools.<br \/>\nYoung people\u2019s well-being and extracurriculars also suffer <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">sugar dating upfront fee<\/a> when it\u2019s too hot. Outdoor sports during the school year are now sometimes dangerous. Between 1997 and 2022,<br \/>\nat least<br \/>\n50 high school football players died from heat stroke, the most for any school sport. Even outdoor activities that require less exertion put children at risk.<br \/>\nKinley, the 12-year-old daughter of Georgia-based mom Tyler, had to leave a school field day early to \u201ccome inside and go to the nurse because [she] felt sick [and her] head hurt.\u201d At the Florida school where Ivy teaches, she told Prism that during gym, \u201ckids pass out at least once a year.\u201d As an educator, she used to love summer, but now she views the season as \u201cexhausting, worrisome, and boring,\u201d in large part because she is now constantly worried \u201cabout heat exhaustion and heat stroke.\u201d<br \/>\nAn immediate solution to the effects of rising average temperatures in schools is the installation, maintenance, and upgrading of school HVAC systems. The Department of Energy<br \/>\nlaunched<br \/>\nthe Renew America\u2019s Schools Program funded by President Joe Biden\u2019s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; the $500 million in funding is earmarked to help K-12 schools make energy upgrades that will decrease energy use and costs, improve indoor air quality, and foster healthier learning environments. But this funding falls short of the money needed to combat the rising average temperature\u2019s impact on schools. The nationwide<br \/>\ncost<br \/>\nof updating existing HVAC systems would cost $414 million, while <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">sugar baby na verified<\/a> new installations would cost over $40 billion. Keeping students cool in the contiguous U.S. would require approximately<br \/>\n$1.5 billion<br \/>\na year moving forward\u2014money the incoming Trump administration may not be willing to spend.<br \/>\nTackling climate change head-on<br \/>\nIf global greenhouse gas emissions continue at their current rate, average temperatures could rise approximately<br \/>\n3.1 degrees Celsius<br \/>\nby 2100 compared with temperatures before the Industrial Revolution. An increase of more than 3 degrees Celsius would trigger several points of no return that would dramatically alter the planet\u2019s climate <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">sugar dating member quality<\/a> and increase sea level. Absent adequate spending to adhere to the Paris Agreement\u2019s upper limit of 2 degrees Celsius of warming or achieving the loftier goal of only 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, the impacts of climate change will compound to cause more harm. Similarly, in order to maintain a healthy and hospitable ecosystem, the limit of carbon dioxide parts per million in the atmosphere<br \/>\nshould not exceed 350<br \/>\n. But today, the global atmosphere hovers around<br \/>\n420<br \/>\ncarbon dioxide parts per million. As more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, temperatures continue to rise. Among the<br \/>\nimpacts<br \/>\nof this warming are rising sea levels, shifts in biodiversity, and more extreme weather. These tipping points could result in a lack of food, $38 trillion<br \/>\nworth of damage<br \/>\nto the global economy within the next 25 years, and disruptions to everyday life.<br \/>\nPeople of color, low-income people, and young people will face a disproportionate share of these harms. For instance, the global north is responsible for roughly<br \/>\n50% of carbon emissions<br \/>\ndespite only having 12% of the global population. The global south, in contrast, is experiencing<br \/>\ndeadly heat waves<br \/>\n, monsoon rains, and significant flooding that has resulted in immense human loss and billions of dollars in infrastructure repairs. Of the estimated $2 trillion needed by the global south to combat climate change, $1 trillion should come from \u201crich countries, investors and multilateral development banks,\u201d according to a United Nations-backed<br \/>\nreport<br \/>\n.<br \/>\nThe changes needed to address the magnitude of the climate crisis are steep but necessary. A human society that continues, let alone thrives, requires a shift in how we live, educate, eat, build, and form communities. The most central demand for combating climate change is ending our global reliance on fossil fuels. This requires a significant investment in<br \/>\nrenewable energy infrastructure<br \/>\nand expansion, such as solar farms, offshore wind, and geothermal energy. These types of renewable and efficient energy sources could also be utilized in school buildings and public spaces.<br \/>\nEducation must also adapt to our new climate reality. As climate change threats worsen, schools are emerging as important infrastructure in the quest to make communities more resilient. Federal funding has fallen far short of what\u2019s needed to maintain schools; an estimated additional<br \/>\n$38 billion<br \/>\nin funding is needed to adequately maintain schools. Despite this funding gap, school districts and developers are beginning to<br \/>\ndesign campuses<br \/>\nto manage stormwater and cool neighborhoods, in part by including more green spaces and shaded areas. A tree canopy can<br \/>\nreduce<br \/>\nsurface temperatures by 11 to 19 degrees Fahrenheit, turning nearly inhospitable outdoor <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">Metro Manila sugar baby<\/a> areas on school grounds into more tolerable environments. Flooding is already the<br \/>\nmost common and costly<br \/>\nnatural disaster in the U.S., but with rising sea levels placing more parts of the country at flood risk, schools across the country must upgrade and manage their facilities.<br \/>\nOlder generations experienced less heat while simultaneously having more indoor reprieves in the form of shopping malls and arcades. Ashley Releford, a Georgia mother of three school-age children, told Prism that as a child, she \u201ccould spend hours outside with no problem,\u201d and it pains her that her kids \u201cdon\u2019t get to enjoy the <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">sugar arrangement allowance<\/a> same outdoor summer activities as I did because it\u2019s too hot for them to be enjoyable.\u201d Third places, or spaces we regularly occupy outside of school, work, and home, are rapidly<br \/>\ndisappearing<br \/>\nin general. Those that do still exist, such as malls and movie <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">Metro Manila sugar daddy<\/a> theaters, increasingly have<br \/>\npolicies<br \/>\nrestricting unsupervised minors during certain business hours. Public libraries<br \/>\nalready serve<br \/>\nas cooling and warming centers and spaces to<br \/>\nlearn<br \/>\nabout climate change, but by expanding their youth-based programming and opportunities for community engagement, public libraries can play an even larger role in combating the effects of climate change.<br \/>\nIn more ways than one, young people are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Adults must protect their future and be a part of the push to ensure our systems meet their needs in a rapidly changing world. Schools are one of the most vital systems to address as part of this process, but there are many young people who already feel left behind.<br \/>\nNikhil Chavda, a sophomore at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, told Prism that changing weather patterns have him deeply concerned. \u201cIf you look at the kind of mild winters and hot summers we\u2019ve been having, you can see that the temperatures are definitely having an impact,\u201d Chavda said. \u201cI\u2019m concerned because I feel like nobody in power is actually doing anything to address that.\u201d<br \/>\nMore broadly, as the people who bear the disproportionate burden of climate change, young people need a seat at the table when it comes to strategizing solutions. They are already<br \/>\nleading the way<br \/>\nin climate change activism, so why not give them the opportunity to weigh in on solutions?<br \/>\nCooper, Barry, and Chavda have all taken active roles in the 350 New Hampshire youth team, a climate justice organization across New Hampshire. The students<br \/>\nnoticed a gap<br \/>\nin New Hampshire\u2019s environmental education curriculum, which did not include information about <a href=\"https:\/\/philippinessugar.com\/\">top sugar dating site Philippines<\/a> climate change and its sociopolitical impacts. With the support of Rep. Wendy Thomas, the students drafted a<br \/>\nhouse resolution<br \/>\nfor a more robust climate education curriculum in New Hampshire. They also provided training and education on the house resolution and climate education gaps in New Hampshire and spoke at school boards and legislative testimony hearings to advocate for the house resolution.<br \/>\nClimate change and its impacts worsen in the face of collective inaction\u2014and the harms of climate change are felt most directly by<br \/>\nyoung people<br \/>\n. While feelings of<br \/>\nclimate anxiety<br \/>\nare real, it\u2019s important to remember that climate change is not inevitable.<br \/>\nBarry told Prism it\u2019s a common misconception that climate change is hopeless or that it cannot be solved. \u201cI believe that that is far from true,\u201d Barry said. \u201cHaving engaged in climate activism over the past few years, I have come to see just how truly passionate and engaged so many people from across the world are on this issue. I believe that as the grassroots climate movement continues to grow, the environmental movement will only continue to be met with more wins.\u201d<br \/>\nSignificant investment in infrastructure and an end to our global fossil fuel reliance are critical first steps in ensuring a hospitable planet for young people to inherit. Until then, the institutions children rely on, like public schools, must adapt to a chaotic climate.<br \/>\nRelated<br \/>\nTagged:<br \/>\nclimate justice<br \/>\n,<br \/>\neducation<br \/>\n,<br \/>\nFeature<br \/>\n,<br \/>\nheat<br \/>\n,<br \/>\nschools<br \/>\n,<br \/>\nstudents<br \/>\nNneka Ewulonu<br \/>\nNneka Ewulonu (they\/them\/theirs) is a lifelong Georgian committed to elevating the voices of marginalized communities. A civil rights lawyer living in Atlanta, Nneka\u2019s work focuses on reproductive freedom,&#8230;<br \/>\nMore by Nneka Ewulonu<br \/>\nElisabeth Bialosky<br \/>\nElisabeth Bialosky (she\/her) is from Cleveland, Ohio and lives in Portland, Maine. She works in the environmental and energy industry doing community planning and events. Her background is in education&#8230;<br \/>\nMore by Elisabeth Bialosky<\/p>\n<p>&lt;!&#8211; image: https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/prismreports.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/iStock-1592659194.jpg?fit=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1 &#8211;&gt;<br \/>\n&lt;!&#8211; image: https:\/\/prismreports.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Nneka-Ewulonu-150&#215;150.jpeg?crop=1 &#8211;&gt;<br \/>\n&lt;!&#8211; image: https:\/\/prismreports.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/EB-32-150&#215;150.jpg?crop=1 &#8211;&gt;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Photo via iStock) Phoenix is no stranger to blistering temperatures, but it experienced an extraordinary October this year, with temperatures rising above 100 degrees for 21 straight days. This streak sets a new benchmark for the region, marking a level of heat that is unprecedented even for the Southwest. Climate change continues to warm the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/phililovestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/phililovestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/phililovestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phililovestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phililovestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/phililovestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/phililovestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phililovestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phililovestory.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}