Climate change and not having kids

[Appleofmyeye2023]

Not really AIBU, more chat and getting insight

DS up visiting this weekend. Aged 29 , living with partner in London and can’t afford to buy yet. So, really not ready to think about marriage or babies etc

but, we got chatting and it came up that his partner was opposed to having kids , and he was a bit, because it would be cruel and horrendous for them, that by the time those kids got to their 50s and 60s the world would be so effected by climate change that it would be at war for precious resources, thousands of people dying, and mass migration to find a way to survive .

im of the view, that yep, while things will get a lot tougher, humans have a capacity to make changes and adapt - technology will develop to meet those challenges, but all the time there isn’t a literal burning platform in developed countries, there won’t be the pressure and will politically to throw resources to really solve the issue- we’re playing around with the low hanging fruit currently, but things have to get a lot worse before there is a collective and money to really tackle climate change. So, I’m a bit more optimistic on this one. It seems so sad for that generation to be so “we’re doomed” to stop having children?

I am wondering, how common is this amongst the late 20s and early 30s generation? Or is this a bit extreme?

Should say they are both pretty intelligent and DS’s partner works in field of sustainability in developing countries, has lived all over the world, she’s not British by birth, and is not a conspiracy theorist !

Regardless of the reasons for not having kids, surely it's good they recognise they don't want them?

Nothing worse than a child not being wanted.

@taxguru

If him and his mates are into F1, I’m not surprised they don’t concern themselves with worrying about climate change!

Maybe they just don’t want kids. I don’t think the kids of today will have very nice lives as adults due to climate change and the tanking economy and political unrest.

Not wanting to contribute to further climate change by making more humans is why my husband and I won't be having children. I would never say this to anyone in real life because it would make them feel I am judging thier choice. But in my heart it is the main reason.

It's not contested by scientists whose job it is to understand the shifts that are occurring.

This is quite possible. She might think that if she says she doesn’t want them you’ll start trying to persuade her.

@YukoandHiro

You do realise that scientists have opposing views? All parties having done extensive research and there are many disagreements as to causes, impact, time scales ect. I'm pretty Switzerland on the whole issue. Just thought it was important to point out it's not as cut and dry as some sections of the media report!

It's not your place to judge whether their reasons for having kids are good or not. That's up to them.

I sometimes wonder/ worry about the future my kids, and perhaps their kids, will have. It's scary. It wouldn't have been a reason for me not to have them, but at least your DS and his GF are thinking it through.

I will only believe that the actual reason is ' climate change' if Op's daughter in law doesn't fly, use a car, eat certain products, use delivery services ect. Honestly, the amount of people I know who drone on about climate change but have trans continental holidays a year and drive to work when they could walk it in 45 minutes staggers me

Perhaps they want to keep living like this and not have to worry about the impact on their children? I love international travel, eating meat, driving fast cars, and turning the heating on full blast in winter, and have no intention of stopping. I’m just glad it wont be my children suffering the effects.

Those people are more than balanced out by the number of young people not having children.

But as the poster below says.

If you have no skin in the game (literally) why should you make sacrifices for those that do (and generally seem to care less)?

I have two DC with my partner, but when we were trying to decide whether or not to have kids climate change and what the world might look like when they grow up was the major counter argument for us (which obvs didn't win).

It is also utterly revealing how many people have an issue with this being the reason, and how defensive they get in response.

@ComtesseDeSpair

Spot on. Albeit I don’t eat meat for ethical reasons, and also because it makes me superior.

Don't get me wrong I'm like you, love flying , eat meat till it comes out of my ears ect but I don't have any respect for people who go on about climate change to others whilst lounging on their artificial grass planning their next trip to Dubai. I say this as I myself am lying on my artificial grass planning an Easter break to Dubai

I'm not surprised they feel this because of the current narrative surrounding climate change.

Jim Skea, who is the new head of the IPCC is saying that there is too much catastrophising and that we need to be much more positive by focussing on solutions.

Article

I've just adopting adopted 2 children because of this. I am one of those people (call me crazy) that think we are at capacity, children are still being born, into horrendous socioeconomic circumstances, a failing healthcare system and a dying ecosystem. I won't be producing more humans but I'm certainly going to help raise the thousands each born at the wrong time in someone's life.

Eats meat
Ect typo
Artificial grass
Dubai

My brain hurts.

The ironic thing is that people who choose not to have children are the ones who are going to cause huge problems. Who on earth do they expect to keep the world functioning? The world needs a good balance of older and younger people so that water comes from the taps and food gets grown - population collapse is a major problem. Masses of elderly people with no younger generation to care for them is a disaster.

I think there's a generational divide on this. There's a tendency for older generations to bury their heads in the sand with regards to climate change and say "don't worry, it will all work out".

Whereas for younger generations they can see just how badly managed and run the planet is, how little effort is being put into making changes and how much resistance is being put up against even those small attempts to mitigate disaster.

You also have to remember that millennials are the first generation to be financially, environmentally, and societally worse off than their parents (at least in Western/ developed countries), which means their priorities won't align to the previous generation(s).

Same.

It's tough as we want to have hope, but I would not encourage my DC to have DC if things go the way they look like they're going.

Agree.

The planet is burning and it's not going to magically revert to health.

@Helpfulperson123

You must have a very low tolerance bless your heart

Well maybe in that case everyone needs to pull their finger out and put pressure on their govts to make changes, now. Because it's happening, unless they have a reason to have hope.

Instead lots are slagging off Just Stop Oil and ignoring the fact our Prime Minister is green lighting 1000s of new gas and oil projects.

This is absurd.