having babies despite the state of the world

[TruthOnTrial]

I am wondering about any that are contemplating pregnancy at a time when the world weather is in crisis, fires ranging out of control across Aus, also california, and others. Floods regularly now around the UK, tornados even and more extreme weather generally, a summer just gone with record heatwave temps.

Many are making a decision to not start a family as the continuing viability of life on earth is ever more unsure.

Half a billion animals killed in the Aus fires alone. People having to lock themselves indoors and residents considering leaving Aus for good.

Is it U to consider bringing future children into this?

All species have a drive to persist. That's what keeps them going, unless they are killed off by natural selection.

I don't see an argument for letting the human species die out to allow other species to survive. Yes we cause the death of many other species, which is a tragedy when it's done for reasons such as greed, vanity and pure selfishness. But we have just as much right to be here as any other species.

I also don't think most people think about this when starting a family. I'd say for most people who do decide to have children, it's on the basis of that biological imperative.

No one knows what the future will hold. But if asked my opinion, I would never advise anyone to base a decision about having children on this alone.

Isn't this how the plot to Idiocracy started?

Bloody hell - what a load of miseries.

Read the 'We've just had the best decade in history' in The SPECTATOR. It's not all doom and gloom.

Your posts are somewhat hyperbolic, op.

I'm ready not going to worry about climate change then if this is going to be the final generation of humans

I never understand why people consider the continued existence of the human race as an inherently good thing. While we exist, we are making other species extinct at an alarming rate. It would be better if we died off, let everything else recover, and perhaps in a few million years we would re-evolve and have another chance.

Oh for goodness sakes! That is one of the most dramatic things I've read on here.

What are the risks of a baby dying that you bring into the world?

Our actions have never been those of environmentalists, or we would never have got to this state would we?

Our actions as a race are primarily greed, money, big cars, rights to fly all over the world, use plastics and throw-away products and our benefit over the worlds long term survival, or its other inhabitants.

We manage all other inhabitants that may try to continue living in 'our' environment.

Children are currently dying as a result of our air pollution in London, and excessive heat and lack of resources around the world.

Life has always been difficult. Mortality rates now are higher than they were in the past. People had children when plague and typhoid and cholera killed millions.

And children aren’t being kept inside perpetually because they’ll die outside. That’s alarmist and an overstatement

What are the risks of a baby dying that you bring into the world?

Massively lower than they once were.

I don’t think I’d have kids now tbh but I work in a job focused on climate change so maybe my perception is skewed.

KC how was it the best

All I've heard, and read, is that environmentally and for evidence of increasing rates of climate change its been the worst, if you discount the ice ages etc.

Why shouldn't you have one when others have 5? Not having any to save the planet seems a little dramatic, but that doesnt mean you have to go crazy...

Babies dying now for different reasons, this is about knowing the environment is getting worse, so deaths will increase.

We can manage a lot more health-wise now, in terms of other illnesses, but this is a rapidly worsening situation, here and now upon which to base the decision of bringing life to.

Why shouldn't you have one when others have 5

Noone should be having children just because others do

Here and now is a worsening situation, does it affect a persons choice to bring a life into it, should it?

There’s a lot of hyperbole in your posts OP.

A lot of hyperbole and little in the way of any evidence backing up some alarmist claims.

Surely the risks of a baby dying now are hugely HUGELY reduced? It's probably the safest time to have a child.

Thing is it is completely unenforceable and unrealistic. People aren't going to stop having children, so if you stop to save the planet then you're just depriving yourself of what for many people is a huge part of life. There never used to be an NHS, there never used to be a lot of things and people still had children and those children in some cases grew up to change the world for the better and do things like introduce the NHS. If we lose the NHS now then all the more reason to bring up children who will campaign and work for social healthcare to come back.

You can never ever predict what the world will be like in 20-40 years say. Just like when your parents had you they couldn't be sure in 2019 everything would be peachy

This is ridiculous. Humans have survived dozens of ice ages and hotter interglacial periods than this one with only stone tools, animal skins and fire. We are far better equipped to survive this interglacial warm period and the next ice age than humans have ever been.

The “planet” has survived several mass extinctions worse than the one we are currently in, which by the way, isn’t all down to humans. And I’m sick and tired if people acting like humans are some alien interloper when we are part of nature and part of the planet. We have as much right to endure as a species as any other species on Earth.

Yes I have brought children into the world, we live in a golden age of peace, prosperity and equality. World hunger and poverty is the lowest it has ever been. Fewer wars and murders are happening now than ever before in history (on a per capita measure). Pollution/plastic is just the latest problem we face and we’ve already solved most of it. We fixed the hole in the ozone layer. We have cleaner air and water than fifty years ago, a hundred years ago despite triple the population.

I think it’s better if the doom and gloom people do not have children. It will breed out all these woe is me the end is nigh genes.

Noone should be having children just because others do

No one should stop having babies because other people have or mentioned it. It works both ways.

I also think it's very easy to be sanctimonious about it if you already have children. Do you have kids OP?

Never considered the effect on the environment when we decided to have our DD. I can't imagine most other people would either - certainly nobody I know did.

Honestly? It wouldn’t be something that would factor into my decision to have a baby or not. My personal situation (in terms of health, finances, relationships, etc) yes, but not climate change and the like. I’m not saying I don’t care, and I certainly should make changes to decrease my carbon footprint, but not to the extent of not having my dc.

You could apply the logic about not having children to more or less every decade of the 20th century (fascism in the 30s/WW2 in the 40s etc). There are always crises, atrocities etc. The solution isn't just to retreat into handwringing.

This ^^

And indeed every century until now.

I'm happy my children have been born into the best living conditions and lowest mortality rates ever. I trust that mankind will survive. Perhaps there will be depopulation, as there already is in developed countries, or new technology, or migration to other planets (last one fairly unlikely!). But the main point is, humans have always had an uncertain and scary future. Now is no different to any other time. People have children and hope they will have a long happy life, there are no guarantees.

WE as a society and generations have failed to respect the land we live on for many many years.

People are on a panic spree spouting biblical prophecies and quoting xyz and what can we do? We cannot undo what has been done. Only small measures and teach our children to do the same.

How do you propose we function in the meantime?

I can assure you that letting the human race die out would mean exactly that. We'd all die. I've not seen the dinosaurs resurface yet....