A secluded summer

As July turned to August, I had a disheartening realization—I had done barely any of the summer activities I love. I had not paddleboarded on a lake and still haven’t. My husband and I only went hiking at a state park once, in June for his birthday. Only a handful of times had I ridden my bike, gone for long walks along the lake, or attended outdoor events, and the season for all that was quickly slipping away. 

One reason is specific to me: I’ve also been working a lot more and have had less free time (support Tone Madison!). But when I brought this up in casual conversations, I found that friends and acquaintances had the same experiences for the same reason: the weather. Countless days that I could have spent outdoors, I instead spent inside because of a) extreme heat and humidity, b) severe thunderstorms and/or torrential downpours, or c) poor air quality from Canadian wildfires. 

The cause of all this is extremely obvious: climate change. In addition to being an existential threat to our future, climate change is preventing us from enjoying the simple pleasures of the present. We’re seeing the impact on our ecosystem, physical health, and mental health. 

The average temperature was 1.2 degrees Fahrenheit higher than average, according to the June 2025 Climate Summary from the Wisconsin State Climatology Office. This includes a dangerous four-day heatwave that was 11 degrees hotter than normal, and which caused power outages and the roads to buckle. And according to the Climatology Office’s July 2025 Climate Summary, July wasn’t any better. The average temperature was higher than normal by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Paired with high humidity, this created dangerous conditions, which sent significantly more people to emergency rooms. If that sounds bad, the reality was probably worse because heat emergencies and even deaths are underreported. 

The heavy rainfall did reverse drought conditions, but it also meant more mosquitos than the past two years. My most consistent summer outdoor activity—gardening—was marred by extremely aggressive mosquitos. Even coated in “Deep Woods” bug spray, I had to run in, harvest what I could, maybe pull some weeds, and abandon ship once the spray wore off or else I would be mauled.

All the quality time outdoors that we missed due to our warming planet is particularly precious in a state like Wisconsin. I know I wasn’t the only one this past Labor Day weekend who was trying to take in as much sun, fresh air, and community as I could squeeze into three days. I’ve enjoyed the recent cooler weather because I could finally get a good night’s sleep and rehydrate, but it has also reminded me that winter is around the corner. Soon we’re going to be fully bundled up, mostly hunkered down indoors, and longing for sun and fresh air on bare skin.

Climate change is increasingly impacting not just our physical health, but our mental health. Climate change anxiety has been prevalent for some time, but mental health experts are now also seeing increasing symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) during the summer. Maybe it’s the reminder that our planet is warming every time one of your favorite outdoor activities is ruined or cancelled. Or the fact that summer weather has become so unsafe that people isolate in air-conditioned spaces instead of basking in the outdoors among other people and nature. And while winter SAD can make people lethargic, summer SAD can present as irritability or aggression, which has implications for other public health issues, such as interpersonal violence.

Some researchers have found that SAD symptoms are triggered by increased heat, humidity, and even pollen. A 2019 study found that high pollen counts correlate with people’s moods worsening and symptoms of SAD. Pollen peaks even coincided with suicidal behavior. While the idea of “botanical sexism” is oversimplistic (and a little silly—I doubt anyone plants certain trees because they’re “male”), municipalities should be re-thinking their planting strategies to include plants that rely on pollinators instead of scattering their pollen to the wind, and more fruiting trees and brush to absorb pollen. More food for pollinators, more fresh fruit for city dwellers, fewer allergens in the air, and better mental health. Plus, maybe the abundance of public fruit will draw squirrels, rabbits, birds, and deer away from our fenced gardens.

That is only one of the myriad climate solutions available to us. Invest in robust, accessible, public transit that serves the needs of the public to reduce vehicle emissions. Build dense, accessible, and actually affordable housing to reduce commute times and make transit options such as walking, biking or public transit, feasible. Invest in local, regenerative, sustainable agriculture. Diversify our green spaces—seriously, enough with ecologically dead, wasteful, and frankly ugly grass lawns. All of these solutions are available at the local level. We just need the will to make our community long term more livable—and today, more enjoyable.