Heat Sensation: Protecting Mississippi’s Youth in an Era of Rising Temperatures

Blog > Op-Eds > Heat Sensation: Protecting Mississippi’s Youth in an Era of Rising Temperatures

July 24, 2025 | Originally published in Jackson Advocate

By: Dr. Selika Sweet


For many, climate change has long seemed like a far-off crisis—something playing out in melting glaciers or along coastal cities. But here in Mississippi, I’ve come to understand that climate change is not just global. It’s local. It’s personal.

My perspective shifted when I joined the Climate & Health Equity Fellowship. I began to see climate change not as an abstract concern but as a daily threat to our health, our children, and our communities. That reality is especially stark on our football fields… READ THE FULL ARTICLE>


 

Selika Sweet, M.D., FAAFP, is a board-certified family physician and a 2025 Climate and Health Equity Fellow with the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health.
 
 

The views of the author do not necessarily reflect those of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health or its members.