People concerned about climate change want fewer, or no children - Cosmos
People concerned about climate change want fewer, or no children
Climate change concerns influence people’s decisions to have fewer or no children, with new research suggesting the reasons are more complex than uncertainty about the future.
The systematic review published in PLOS Climate analysed 13 studies involving more than 10,000 participants – from the US, Canada, New Zealand, European and African countries.
The study, led by University College London researcher Hope Dillarstone finds an association between stronger concern about the climate and the desire to have fewer, or no children, revealing the reasons extend beyond worries about how climate change might impact the lives of children.
Other factors include concerns about the ecological impact of having children, and fears of contributing to overpopulation and overconsumption. Some characterised their choice not to have children as part of a ‘climate strike’.
Two studies in Zambia and Ethiopia connected the desire for fewer children with concerns about meeting subsistence needs given declining agricultural output.
Dillarstone says: “Our analysis shows that not only are many people concerned about their child’s welfare growing up in a world of uncertainty, but that they are also considering the impact of having children on the environment, their family’s ability to subsist, and their politics.
“Understanding why some people choose to adjust their reproductive decisions as a result of climate change may prove instrumental for shaping public policy, showing a need for collaboration among policymakers to incorporate local-level environmental concerns within national and international climate change, mental health and sexual and reproductive health policies,” she says.
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Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”