This article is part of our monthly Mental Health & Climate Change series about how extreme weather and other climate impacts affect our psychological well-being—and ways we can cope.
Over the last year or so, my kid fell in love with soccer.
My kid who has struggled with a complex neuroimmune illness for the last several years, who missed nearly half of fourth grade, and who regularly refuses to do most things that involve being outside the home—this one fell in love with soccer. In May, the first time I watched them play in a real team game, I wept with astonishment as they scored three goals. The next game, six goals. Wow. This kid found something they can excel at—and a way to connect with other people. Something they can be proud of, after SO many impossible, discouraging moments over the past few years.
And I’ve been worried ever since about what climate change will steal from the children who love this beautiful game, and from all children who love sports.
Part of me has known that being a parent in a changing climate means having to let your children fall in love with things that will be taken from them: with polar bears as ice sheets melt, with fireflies as populations decline, with eroding coastlines, with soccer as it gets increasingly too hot to play. It is a specific, wrenching flavor of anticipatory grief. It hurts.
I’m trying to lean into the “yes and” of this kind of grief: Yes, it hurts, and I can take action to keep children safer from climate threats. Yes, it hurts, and there will still be ways for kids to enjoy soccer in a changing climate, because we will find them.
This summer, the World Cup is a great opportunity to notice your own climate emotions related to outdoor sports—and to find concrete ways to keep young athletes safer. If you’re watching the World Cup with the soccer fans in your life, here are six ways to spark climate conversations as the tournament unfolds:
Conversations with younger athletes
1. Point out how World Cup players are taking hydration and rest breaks to stay safe. Connect this to the ways the adults work to keep young athletes safe when it’s hot outside. For example: See how the players are making sure to drink enough water? When it’s hot outside, our bodies need extra water and rest breaks to stay safe and healthy—that’s why we make sure to drink water and rest our bodies when you play soccer too.
2. Gently observe the weather conditions World Cup players are playing in. Ask kids if they’ve ever experienced something similar, and how they feel about it. For example: I notice that it looks really hot at that game. Have you ever felt hot when you were playing sports outside? What was that like for you?
The Climate Mental Health Network has an excellent resource that offers detailed guidance on talking to kids about climate change in ways that are age-appropriate and emotionally intelligent (see pages 10-17).
Conversations with sports parents and coaches
3. Share information about how to play outdoors safely in extreme heat. We’ve got fact sheets that are easy to text to your kid’s team chat group: Extreme Weather and Youth Sports, Health Impacts of Extreme Heat. The Climate Mental Health Network also has this fantastic resource for helping parents explain extreme heat cancellations to their disappointed athletes.
4. Raise awareness about how air quality can impact kids’ sports. The extreme heat risks of the World Cup are getting media attention, but air quality risks haven’t gotten the same treatment. Many adults just don’t know how dangerous air pollution is, especially for little lungs. Ask your kids’ coaches whether they have a plan for adapting sports practices when the air quality is Code Yellow, Code Orange, or Code Red, and share this fantastic youth activities and air quality guide from the Washington State Department of Health.
Conversations with partners, friends, and other loved ones
5. Tell your loved ones how you’re feeling about the impact of climate risks on sports, and ask how they’re feeling too. As you’re watching your favorite World Cup team play, you might say, It’s so stressful to think about keeping athletes safe when it’s hot outside—I wish we didn’t have to worry about this and I’m angry that climate change means that we do. What is it like for you?
6. Grab a friend or partner and watch this conversation with extreme heat expert Ashley Ward about keeping young athletes safe in extreme heat: From Sidelines to Safety. Make it fun with a cool beverage and a chat about the steps you’ll take to keep your own children safe from heat risks.
This year, I’m leaning fully into being the annoying soccer mom who talks about climate change during the World Cup. I’m still heartbroken that this is something we have to think about at all; parents have enough to worry about as it is. But I also know our kids deserve caregivers who will find ways to keep them safe as they play the sports they love. That means practicing climate conversations, even when it feels awkward. I hope you’ll join me.
Tell Congress: Support Mental Wellness Resources for Communities Facing Weather Disasters