Population Matters

[onlychildhamster]

My local fair had a Population Matters booth and I talked to the volunteer manning the booth. He said their policy was that they thought people should have small families or one less child. I broadly agree with this i.e. planning to have an only child.

I am confused about one thing though. I thought that having 2 children would be fine from an environmental perspective as you are just replacing you and your partner. But having read about in greater detail, it seems like scientists are saying population reduction is the way to beat climate change, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-05/scientists-call-for-population-control-in-mass-climate-alarm so doesn't that mean that we should be aiming for 0 children or 1 child and the max 2 children is for exceptional circumstances. My DH also said that even though replacement rate is officially 2.05 for the UK (higher in developing countries due to higher child mortality), the fact that we live so long in the UK means 2 children is 'adding to the population'. What do you all think of this?

Disclaimer: I don't advocate for any coercive measures to control population nor is this a snipe at anyone who has 3 or more children (we can't return children, this is just a discussion about FUTURE children).

I'm childfree by choice I just really don't want children. I don't hate them, we have 2 nieces we dote on. It's an unplanned benefit of my choices that I'm not having an environmental impact rather than what my choice is based on.

I do feel like it means I have to worry less about my own environmental impact tbh. Which actually is modest for us. I'm vegetarian, partner doesn't eat loads of meat, we have 1 car, live in a terrace, not loads of air travel.

I do think if you've chosen to have children you should make and effort to live more sustainably. I also think that it needs to become more of a norm for couples to consider the environmental impact of the children they have. So maybe stopping at 2.

Personally I think we do need to reduce the global population of the planet is going to sustain humans long term. Or maybe we shouldn't bother. Let other species have a go.

The best way to reduce population is to give women (everywhere in world) terrific control over their own fertility and make sure all their children have high chance of surviving to adulthood; also have a state safety net so that people have security in their older years & don't have to rely on many children.

Rest is just tinkering around the edges with unsustainable & unpopular ideas.

Thats another thing with China; it is a monocultural society and it is very difficult for foreigners to master Mandarin so it is much harder for them to get immigrants

Does China want immigrants?

@Andante57 I think they probably don't mind overseas chinese- in fact they are talking about giving us limited citizenship (to which I say no thank you). There are African workers in China, but they are not treated well.

So the only way they can replace their elderly population is through birth.