to think you can't understand climate science and want kids

[sensiblefootwear]

Hoping that people will (gently, with good evidence) tell me I'm BU.

I love children and have always wanted them. But for the past few years and especially this year I'm finding the science on climate change and the tangible effects of it (houses on fire in nearby towns, schools so hot people's children have been sent home after fainting, looming food and water shortages, etc etc) increasingly difficult to ignore and I can't help but thinking it's an incredibly unwise decision to choose to bring another life into this world.

To be clear, I'm not talking about choosing not to have children because I think it will somehow have any impact on the climate, because of course it won't. I'm talking about choosing not to have them to spare them the horror of what's to come in the next few decades.

Am I being unreasonable to feel this way? I'd really love to hear from people who genuinely understand climate science and know where things are heading, but are still staying firm in their decision to have children in the future.

Surely reducing the rate of population growth (or even reversing it) is not the same as “stopping the human race”.

I'm convinced there are people out there that have no concept that their kids aren't just objects for their own fulfilment. It wouldn't even cross their mind in a million years to think "would my child actually want to be born"? It's all "me me me, how can I make my own life better?"

Some people maximise their own joy and others try to minimise the suffering of others. The people who have kids probably will win the game of life just because they don't care about the cost.

Its a bizarre concept IMO. I dont think children born in the medieval times had that great a time! Didn't stop them being produced, but here, now in modern highly developed times lives can be as wonderful as the parent makes it. I dont think we are quite facing an apocalypse just yet.

I mean, if everyone had that attitude!

I understand it. Have kids. Have 2 SUVs with family and fly and go on holiday.

That’s interesting. I genuinely don’t think any parents stop to consider whether their children would want to be born.

Does anyone here wish they weren't born?

@BermudaRhombus no I know. And yet there are plenty of people who wished they weren't. But their parents played god and made the decision for them.

It genuinely blows my mind that parents get that kind of responsibility to literally create life-80 years of drudgery on this planet all down to your parents decisions!

The global population would decline rather than grow from its current level of over 8 billion people.

I could've done without being here.

"played god" - having children biologically and normally. If no one has kids the human race just dies out and goes extinct

Ok

I agree. I think life would be much more bearable if you can be selfish and not give any / little regard to the implications and impact you have on others (including your children), the environment and other species.

Well I enjoy my life, but I wouldn’t be fussed if I hadn’t been born. I wouldn’t know any different.

You're literally responsible for other people being alive. How is it not playing god?

I'm quite happy to be alive.

How is it playing god? What does playing god mean to you? You suppose and existence of a "god".

Is this a serious question? Yes of course, many many people wish they hadn't been born.

Exactly. It's obviously very hard for some people to think in the abstract and realise if they weren't born that they simply wouldn't care about life or this planet.

It's probably for the best if you don't have children.

That requires a belief in 'god'

Okay

I agree with you OP

I have children. But the world I brought them into felt vastly different than the one we live in now.

I am scared for their futures

I don't believe in god but to play god to me is creating life and deciding for others they'll have to live on this planet for decades because you've decided what's best for them. It's basically ultimate power and control over another person.

😂 😂 😂 😂