Climate change is now threatening a pillar of childhood: summer break

Climate change is disrupting one of the fixtures of American childhood: the summer camp. Rising temperatures, wildfire smoke and flooding are forcing camps and families across the United States to cancel or drastically rework outdoor activities that have long been staples of the summer break, with organisers warning that what were once rare extreme-weather days are becoming routine. The shift matters because summer programmes are a significant part of many children's lives and development, and their disruption reflects a broader pattern of climate impacts reaching into everyday, previously unremarkable aspects of life.

Camps in Washington DC, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Texas have all reported disruption, from a Pennsylvania soccer camp enduring heat close to 100°F (38°C) to Minnesota's Camp Widjiwagan submerging 19 historic canoes to protect them during a wildfire evacuation near the Canadian border. Camps now see roughly 8-10 days a season with the heat index above 105°F, compared with three to five historically, while deadly floods in Texas underline the wider risks. A 2024 Gallup survey found 55% of US parents send their children to structured summer programmes, and the American Camp Association's chief executive, Henry DeHart, argued that "kids need camp now more than ever," even as directors such as Beauvoir Summer Camp's Drew Mackay describe the disruption as simply "a new reality."