AIBU to be irritated by Prince Harry's attitude to third and subsequent children?

[Irishgurl]

So my youngest DC is 12. Incredibly aware of environmental issues and is beginning to think of a career in Marine Biology. Already follows environmental blogs, has joined school focus groups for this and keeps our family in check on our environmental responsibility. And is very sad to have read Prince Harry's comments on third children being something that is damaging to the planet. I do find it rather frustrating that I have had to discuss this with a child. The planet is being damaged and no one can deny it. But it is really naive to point the finger of blame on third and subsequent children in a family. It doesn't matter to me how many children you have as long as you bring them up to add something to society rather than take away ( and this includes the environment). The more children the better , as long as they are contributing and making the world a better place? I think he should apologize to all third children ( and 4th and 5th). And that includes his Mother, Prince Louis, my lovely 12 year old and many more fantastic human beings who really don't deserve to be told that they are bad for the planet!

Az910
He's not wrong, so I don't see why he should apologise, multiple children is one of the worst things you can do for the environment

This ^

And do you always take things so personally

Having a child is by far and away the most damaging thing a person can do environmentally. Well beyond that of flying (even quite regular transatlantic flying) or driving a car or eating meat.

The irreparable damage we are doing to the planet is caused primarily by our demand for resources, which is hugely exacerbated by population levels.

If we want to save the planet, then having fewer children must be our priority as a species.

I just find this argument ridiculous. Are the plebs going to be told to jump in the river soon just so we can eliminate our carbon footprint while the billionaires get on with drilling the planet? I guess they'll have all the robots they could need soon, so who gives a fuck about the little people lol might as well bullshit us away in to non existence.

Back in the early 80's in UK we were being lectured about overpopulation. We took it on board and only had two children (replacement level). Now we told we don't have enough younger people in UK to fund taxes etc!

The answer to that is not for every generation to keep on having more and more children. The answer to that is a sustainable tax/welfare system.

It doesn't matter to me how many children you have as long as you bring them up to add something to society rather than take away

Im not a royals fan but you are wrong.
Population increase is a worry, of course how many children you have matters!
It is a drain.

Children aren't bad for the environment. Overpopulation is but overpopulation isn't to do with babies as birthrate is decreasing so rapidly.
Overpopulation is all to do with more elderly people living longer. They are the biggest drain on resources both from an environmental and economic viewpoint.
But it is much more acceptable to say no more than 2 kids then legalise euthanasia.

I only have two children, but for all of you judging others who have more... have you done what you personally can to reduce your own impact on the environment?
Like stopping flying, avoiding driving, cutting out meat and dairy or at least cutting down, stop buying fast fashion and buying higher quality clothes that last longer or second hand, in fact stop buying anything you don’t truely need, recycling, composting food waste, rewilding you garden, buying locally sourced organic food, avoiding plastics, lobbying government and councils, protesting for fossil fuel divestment etc etc. The most important single activity of all of these is to stop flying as for many (not all) this is a luxury, and emits more carbon than any other single activity. For example, a person in a developed nation taking one short haul flight emits more carbon in that flight than a person in a developing nation in a year. It is not just about pure numbers of people, it is about how we live.
I suggest instead of judging each other, we examine our own behaviour and do the absolute best we can to reduce our carbon emissions and help slow / mitigate climate change.

I too was outraged on behalf of prince Lois and his parents and was shocked at how rude Harry had been
Then
I read the Achual quote of the interview as printed above by some helpful person and I see how his actual words spoken in an interview have been taken...and twisted
3rd children are a burden on society and the planet and should be avoided no matter how wonderful they are

It is also true that birth rates are rapidly declining in all developed nations. But people are living longer. But not in better health. We are facing a crisis as we won’t have enough young people to fund social care for, support or look after the old.

^"Overpopulation is but overpopulation isn't to do with babies as birthrate is decreasing so rapidly.
Overpopulation is all to do with more elderly people living longer. They are the biggest drain on resources both from an environmental and economic viewpoint."^

So much bullshit in so few sentences.

I’ve not had any neither have two of my closest friends so that’s six that others can have a share of

Anyone claiming to stop at a specific number of kids for mainly environmental reason is lying and/or completely bonkers. Humans have always reproduced no matter how dire the situation was. Expecting people not to have children due to environmental reasons is a complete misunderstanding on the human psyche.

If you take the UK it's important to realise that we have an ageing population and if we don't have enough children to provide services to us we will be up shit creek. I have 3 children but my sister doesn't have any so it averages out at less than 2. I'm not a great fan of the royals but he's trying to become a celebrity too.

Your lovely Ds doesn’t need to take it personally, and because H & M are allowed to hope for whatever number they want that are THEIR reasons, neither do you.

If your Ds wants to be a scientist he needs to look at things objectively.

I very much doubt he was acting as a puppet in offering these comments given that his grandmother the queen had 4 and his brother the heir has 3. The Toysl PR machine doesn’t usually encourage potential criticism of the reigning and in waiting monarchs.

But I bet the Queen and William are not whining and whinging about his simple stating if a well founded opinion.

“Expecting people not to have children due to environmental reasons is a complete misunderstanding on the human psyche”

Sez you.

He's right though isn't he. Think about your street's litter being collected. Now imagine that cut that by 1/5 - every fortnight for a year, for a decade, for a century. It makes a fucking huge difference. Of course it does. Think how many plastic bottles one person uses in a lifetime. They won't degrade for hundreds of years. Less people = less cral like that dumped every year. I say this as a third 'child myself. I'm quite planet conscious and yet I can only begin to imagine how much litter etc I've caused in my nearly 40 years.

I cannot take this clown serious. Taking several unnecessary private trips in quick succession in private, particularly polluting planes, while being a sanctimonious fucknugget about climate change reads like a satire.

So you want him to apologise for being right?

It's an unusual 12 year old lad who's PERSONALLY OFFENDED that a stranger doesn't want more than 2 kids.

I think the worst thing you can do for the environment is have a baby!!

He is saying what he wants. He doesn't say that nobody anywhere should have three children. I think that you are being unreasonable

Yet he has the audacity to use private jets and probably has a huge carbon footprint

@Irishgurl

Meh, I could not get upset to be honest. I agree with him totally. And I have 3 kids. I also have three close friends who have 3 kids each and 2 cousins who have 5 each, and one who has 4! None of them are remotely offended.

He is not saying people with 3 kids or more are arseholes, and thoughtless twats who are wrecking the planet. He is just suggesting there is no need for anyone to have more than 2 kids from now on... The planet has enough humans FGS. We don't need anymore.

He says he and Meghan would have 2 kids only, but tbh, I think as she is at the tail end of her 'healthy baby-making-window,' they will have no choice but to stop at 2 anyway. She will probably be 40, by the time they have another one. That's quite late to have a baby. She really shouldn't be having any after that age.

What irritates me more than anything Harry says, is people coming out with this shitty old chestnut 'oooh, but someone's third child (that you are denying them of,) could be someone who finds a cure for a terrible disease, or someone who saves the world.'

Pffft! Much more likely they will NOT be. Such a daft argument!

And saying he needs to apologise to his (deceased over 20 years ago,) mother, and his brother (as HE has 3 kids,) and everyone else who has 3 kids or more, is just daft.