‘I am starting to panic about my child’s future’: climate scientists wary of starting families

A fifth of female climate scientists who responded to Guardian survey said they had opted to have no or fewer children

Ihad the hormonal urges,” said Prof Camille Parmesan, a leading climate scientist based in France. “Oh my gosh, it was very strong. But it was: ‘Do I really want to bring a child into this world that we’re creating?’ Even 30 years ago, it was very clear the world was going to hell in a handbasket. I’m 62 now and I’m actually really glad I did not have children.”

Parmesan is not alone. An exclusive Guardian survey has found that almost a fifth of the female climate experts who responded have chosen to have no children, or fewer children, due to the environmental crises afflicting the world.

…

An Indian scientist who chose to be anonymous decided to adopt rather than have children of her own. “There are too many children in India who do not get a fair chance and we can offer that to someone who is already born,” she said. “We are not so special that our genes need to be transmitted: values matter more.”

PP_BOY_,
@PP_BOY_@lemmy.world avatar

Something something literally Idiocracy (2006)

blackbelt352,

At least the president in Idocracy had the humility and self awareness let the smartest guy in the room advise him on policy.

feedum_sneedson,

Yeah, you quote that meme! Don’t go having any original thoughts there champ!

SreudianFlip,

Hmmm, what would Krishnamurti do?

No_Eponym,
@No_Eponym@lemmy.ca avatar

I donno, you really think that guy was that smart? He wanted to give plants water. Like, you know, what is in the toilet.

Daft_ish,

Seriously. Plants crave Brawndo.

zcd, (edited )
  • Don’t look up
Amoxtli, (edited )

Is it climate change, or is it another cover for not wanting to raise little brats? I don’t want kids because: 1. “Cost of living.” 2. " I never met the right man." (Despite being sexually active). 3. “Nobody pays for my childcare.”

Noedel,

Getting snipped this week!

ILikeBoobies,

Title could have said majority of millennials

otp,

I think the opinions of experts are more relevant than the trends of a generation.

Also consider that many millennials are having fewer children because of the rising cost of living. Personal, rather than worldwide circumstances.

phoenixz,

I always thought my children, if I’d have them, might die a horrible death due to climate change.

Now, knowing that humanity with climate change in mind, only increased spewing CO2 in to the atmosphere, I think I actually eillmdie a horrible death due to climate change.

The no children thing for the climate is multiple generations too late already.

Also, keep the idiocracy effect in mind. Only the good and caring people decide not to have children, the idiots and selfish assholes will have ten for them.

wavebeam,
@wavebeam@lemmy.world avatar

As an adoptive parent of two kids from foster care, I know this is biased. And actually now that I’ve got a few years of parenting kids with trauma under my belt I actually think most people shouldn’t take on this challenge, because they actually wouldn’t be able to handle it. That said, I think that’s the only real way to counter the idiocracy effect. Adopt kids of the least responsible people to those who are most responsible. It’s mostly an opt-in, self selecting process that generally only moves things in the right direction. It’s also not really enough to actually offset the problem as a whole.

Still a good thing for folks to pursue though.

Melvin_Ferd,

Have them. Just raise them to be resilient little cockroaches.

WhatAmLemmy,

Or better yet, adopt!

Evil_Shrubbery,

… “starting” feels like a horrible word to use in this context, in my humble opinion. Not as bad as not thinking about it tho.

Asclepiaz,

I knew when I was 12 I never wanted children. I got married at 20. I got fixed at 24. I am almost 40 and have no regrets other than not getting fixed sooner, but finding a doc to fix a lady at 18 is damn near impossible.

humbletightband,

fixed

Sorry but does it mean that you cut your tubes?

Asclepiaz,

In my case I had a procedure called Essure done. But yeah I’m sterilized.

squeakycat,

Recently cut, myself! Happy to have done so.

SoleInvictus,

A friend of mine had the same issue at 22. She even had already had a child at 16 but multiple doctors refused, claiming “she might want more”. One doctor would do it but wanted a signed permission slip from her husband first.

All women deserve bodily autonomy.

Evil_Shrubbery,

Wow, wtf, that’s crazy.

Asclepiaz,

Yeah I also needed my husband to approve for some reason. So demeaning.

Noedel,

Nice. I’m getting snipped this week at 37. I felt comfort in keeping that door slightly ajar, but recently a lot of my friends having kids really pushed me over the line.

BigBenis,

I decided that I personally felt unethical bringing people into this world nearly a decade ago

RagingRobot,

What if your kid was going to be the one to fix everything though? Lol now we are doomed

mutant_zz,

We’re not in a movie. Climate change isn’t going be solved by one brilliant scientist. It’s not even a scientific/technology problem at this point, it’s a political one.

Dozzi92,
@Dozzi92@lemmy.world avatar

Everything is a science problem. Big refrigerators. Really big. Cool the whole world. Store heat in barrels and shoot them into the sun. Time machines. A whole host of solutions!

3volver,

You nailed it with this comment, I agree completely. We have the technology, we’ve HAD the technology to solve the problem, and we’ve KNOWN what the problem is for a long time now. We have GREEDY fucks in high positions of power who wouldn’t make any money solving it though, that’s the problem.

explodicle,

Political problems can be addressed through science and technology. Like the firearm, or the bicycle, or bittorrent. We need a way to coordinate a defense that won’t simply be shut down.

volvoxvsmarla,

Maybe it is going to be solved by a brilliant political activist or leader. Jokes aside, of course it won’t be a couple of people who will magically solve something. Strong leaders will however ease the cause by promoting issues best.

eldavi,

it’s a political one.

we’re doomed!!!

RagingRobot,

Oh ok I guess we should stop trying and lose all hope then

Lesrid,

Yes if your solution is to throw literal children at the problem you should quit while you’re ahead.

hakunawazo,

If the problem remains, you still haven’t thrown enough children at it.*

*) As a parent of wonderful kids /s of course.

otp,

Lmao…

Your two ideas are…

  1. "Someone’s child will solve the problem"
  2. Well there’s nothing we can do

?

RagingRobot,

No my ideas are that I’ll live my life and be the best person I can.

It was a joke when I said his kid could fix it. That guy’s obviously an idiot and his kids would be too

How do you people not know sarcasm? So I need to dumb it down for you with the /s like back in the day on Reddit? I thought we moved past that

otp,

Yes, it’s obvious that you were joking about the other commenter’s kid fixing the problem.

The issue is that it embodies the sentiment that it’s “not our problem” and it’s for the future generation to figure out…and then when that was called out, the first alternative you brought up was defeatism, as if that’s the only alternative to someone in the future fixing the problem, lol

RagingRobot, (edited )

The defeatism was obviously sarcasm too though. So stop making all these assumptions about me.

I obviously want the issues fixed and have hope that they will be since I said that I have my own children. I do my fair share as well.

Also you talk about “defeatism” and that’s all I see in this thread. People give up on the chance to have kids not because they don’t want them but because some rich assholes have started to destroy the environment, things cost too much, the pay isn’t right, etc… that’s defeatism. The rich assholes are still having plenty of kids and they will be the ones to inherit the world.

AA5B,

…. And all we needed was that brilliant orator, the Great Persuader on the side of good, someone to rally around to save the world!

Specal,

They just get called woke gay snowflakes then the accusers go eat 10 steaks and jack off.

Theres no way to fix this with kind words, only through force

grue,

Maybe his kid was going to assassinate a bunch of billionaires.

Mnemnosyne,

If it is solved it will definitely be through technology of some sort. While I agree it will not be one brilliant scientist, technology will be the solution.

That technology may come in the form of a way to produce more energy without fucking up the climate, and the engineering and logistical capacity to roll out the change at a breakneck pace.

It may come in the form of simply developing a way to control the global climate directly.

It might come in the form of some technology to control the behavior of humans so that we can actually respond appropriately.

Or it might come in the form of the singularity, when self improving machines grow so far beyond us so fast that they can just do what is needed whether we like it or not.

But one way or another I guarantee that if it’s solved, it’ll largely be a technological solution, because getting humanity to just…stop using energy at our current rate…is just not going to happen.

moitoi,
@moitoi@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

The issue with technosolutionism is that it can’t fit the necessary parameters to address climate change. We already know we can’t go further with infinite growth. It’s not possible to tackle climate change. We need degrowth. Without it, it’s impossible.

The problem is that our economy is based on growth, and this growth will generate the new tech. If you’re for state developed and owned technologies, you have to change the political dogma et system first.

Addressing the climate crisis is a change in the politic and in the economic system. Without both of them, it will continue.

postmateDumbass,

I would have done it, but when i looked around, looked to the future, and realized people had been horrible to me overall, i declined.

Wolfy21_,

Cool, now you, an educated, well intent person with good morals won’t have any offspring to pass those values to, and thus won’t have any representation in the next generations. Meanwhile redneck Terry will make 7 children with 3 different women and teach them to hate the libruls and that the earth is flat.

It is your decision not to have kids, I chose so myself too. But your line of thinking is in discord with the argument.

SkyeStarfall,

Have you met the kids of those rednecks? A lot are estranged from their parents.

Especially with the internet, parents have a limited amount of control over kids, the more important part is education.

otp,

the more important part is education.

And that’s why there’s growing far-right movements around the world (especially the Western world) who want to defund education!

Tabula_stercore, (edited )

Wow, bunch of twats not understanding a joke

Edit: about; it was not a joke, I repeat it was not a joke. Torpedo it

RagingRobot,

People are just so down on the world they want to crush all hope and joy for others too. In the long run I think people will be fine. The other planet’s residents probably not so much. But people will adapt. I’d rather experience life than worry too much about what I can’t solve.

I have kids too and seeing them experience joy and happiness is super rewarding. All you worry warts are just going to miss out.

AA5B,

People in developed countries will be fine. As long as you’re narcissistic enough to only look close by, we’re good to go!

Seriously though, definitely not my line of thinking and I’m very happy I had kids. There are many problems in the world and climate is just one of them. De-population of developed countries is another: we’ve started a population bomb that on 50 years will destabilize society as developed countries suddenly shrink. People are not only the cause of most of the worlds problems, they’re also the solution

Anyway, having kids is a personal choice, regardless of the world careening from one potential catastrophe to the next.

otp,

The other planet’s residents probably not so much.

Which other planet? Lol

Is there some plan to invade an alien world? Maybe that’ll be our solution, huh?

RagingRobot,

Other residents of this planet

SolarMech,

We don’t have time to wait for kids to grow up before doing what we can. Ah, sorry. Before putting all of that responsibility on them and screaming “NOT IT!”

tsonfeir,
@tsonfeir@lemm.ee avatar

Starting

Lol

PhAzE,

1/5th want no or fewer kids… so 4/5 were pushing forward like normal.

tsonfeir,
@tsonfeir@lemm.ee avatar

I’d say they are accelerating! Gotta make up for the people choosing reality.

whoisearth, (edited )
@whoisearth@lemmy.ca avatar

Ohe of the 4/5. I have 3 kids under 13. You gotta.be optimistic that they’re the generation to finally fix the mess we made.

If everyone stops having kids then hope disappears.

When we have exhausted all other options, we will do the right thing.

Edit - I love that having hope and optimism for a future is downvotes lol

DragonTypeWyvern,

“We’ll figure it out in time. Even the oligarchs can’t be that greedy and short sighted.”

phoenixz,

Yeeaah, that is what I thought too, 25 years ago, when we still could make a difference.

Now we’re in it and we’re only going harder. Gotta get richer sooner!

olicvb, (edited )
@olicvb@lemmy.ca avatar

lmao ‘starting’ ?? I believe starting should have been done years ago.

Reminds me of this South Park clip XD (youtube link)

UnderpantsWeevil,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

Even 30 years ago, it was very clear the world was going to hell in a handbasket.

And 30 years before that. And 30 years before that.

I mean, if you don’t want to have kids more power to you. I get it.

But what I’m reading is far more a consequence of a social stigma against having kids without sufficient economic independence. And extraordinary rates of inflation in housing, food, health care, and education make kids utterly unaffordable even if the climate situation looks great.

“We are not so special that our genes need to be transmitted: values matter more.”

I think that’s true up until a point. When I see the genocide in Gaza or forced sterilization policies aimed at black and Hispanic women in police custody in the US or caste violence in India or Myanmar or the Bill Gates Foundation’s effort to quash population size in West Africa…

What values are we transmitting when we’ve got a policy of eugenics? What does it say about the western impulse to homogenize and euthanize everything it comes into contact with?

I can very easily see a world in which the impulse towards mass extermination gets us before the heat pushes us all into the upper reaches of Canada and Russia. And I’m loathe to see anti-natalism harnessed as one more tool in the bigot’s bag of tricks, to justify why a population with high birth rates is an efficient target for population rightsizing.

HubertManne,
HubertManne avatar

im surprised its a fifth have no or fewer and not the other way around.

Kedly, (edited )

How do you have fewer than no children? (=P tongue in cheek purposeful misunderstanding, not true pedantry)

Edit: (Damn, even being clear I was being cheeky I still managed to piss someone off xD)

thejml,

Someone’s gotta have that half child from the 2.5 average!

Kedly,

-0.5 children

Halcyon,
@Halcyon@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

But that would be like going to the gym 3.5 times a week! How do you go 3.5 times?! Do a half workout or something?

TwigletSparkle,

m.youtube.com/watch?v=eECjjLNAOd4

Halcyon,
@Halcyon@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

That’s where this originated from, the forum is still online, a highlight of human history:

forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=107926751

treefrog,

You’ve thrown the worst fear That can ever be hurled Fear to bring children Into the world

For threatenin’ my baby Unborn and unnamed You ain’t worth the blood That runs in your veins

PopOfAfrica,

Oh no! Think of the hypothetical children!

Bo7a, (edited )

This is a powerful lyric from the song masters of war by bob dylan.

It is a song about how the Rich and powerful use and abuse normal people as Grist for the war mill or in this case Grist for the oil mill.

How the fuck is this being downvoted?

treefrog,

Well five people recognized it anyway.

Apparently the others didn’t bother to read it.

feedum_sneedson,

Because everyone is shit now

homesweethomeMrL,

I didn’t recognize it.

Welt,

Because on face value it looks like an anti-abortion lyric.

Bo7a,

I personally don’t see how. But this is probably the correct answer. Cheers.

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