this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2024
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Not having children is an interesting topic I'd like to know more about. Do you have any good talks or lectures about it? I mean, we are on this planet because life propagates, it's baked into the core of every living thing. I wouldn't say we have to have kids, but it's a driving force behind a lot of stuff that we do. And it is such a journey! I know kids emit co2, but to me, telling people not to have kids feels like giving up on hope and on life itself.
And I know earth is getting crowded, too. But the western world is not growing at all, other places do. So I'd say, let's make life over there better and safer, so families over there don't have to rely on children to look after them when the get old. Like Europe and the US did like a century ago.
That is the problem with the whole CO2 footprint. You chosing not to fly is reducing your CO2 footprint, but airline companies will respond with ad campaigns and cries for state help and then other people will take your seat. But if you think it from a CO2 footprint perspective, you are responsible for CO2 produced by your actions. You take the decision to take that long-distance flight to Bali and that adds to your lifetime CO2 emissions. You put solar on your roof and that reduces your lifetime CO2 emissions considerably. And yes, an additional human on this planet will produce a lot of CO2 in his lifetime. And you as a couple are deciding to put him onto this planet - so from that perspective it is totally a good way to reduce your direct CO2 impact by deciding to birth another human.