Climate Change Pessimists Wrong about Wanting Children

In a recent op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, academic and author Jade Sasser laments the state of the world and interviews young people about whether they plan to have children. Although some express a desire for families, not a single one is wholeheartedly willing to have biological children. One interviewee even admitted it feels “shameful” to want children of her own. This piece is another in a long trend of young people, even aides to the vice president, saying they do not want children due to current events, including climate change.

This apprehension isn’t a reflection of climate change’s severity. It’s a symptom of a broader societal issue: a pessimistic overgeneralization of the challenges we face today. The central premise — that the world’s current state of turmoil makes it morally irresponsible to bring new life into it — rests on a dangerously simplistic interpretation of global issues. Yes, plenty of people are worried about climate change, racism, and social inequality. But to suggest that these concerns should categorically deter people from procreation is to ignore just how resilient and adaptable humans are. People who care about these issues should be galvanized, not paralyzed, by them.

DF

About the Author

Danielle B. Franz

Danielle B. Franz is the chief executive officer of the American Conservation Coalition.

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In a recent op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, academic and author Jade Sasser laments the state of the world and interviews young people about whether they plan to have children. Although some express a desire for families, not a single one is wholeheartedly willing to have biological children. One interviewee even admitted it feels “shameful” to want children of her own. This piece is another in a long trend of young people, even aides to the vice president, saying they do not want children due to current events, including climate change.

This apprehension isn’t a reflection of climate change’s severity. It’s a symptom of a broader societal issue: a pessimistic overgeneralization of the challenges we face today. The central premise — that the world’s current state of turmoil makes it morally irresponsible to bring new life into it — rests on a dangerously simplistic interpretation of global issues. Yes, plenty of people are worried about climate change, racism, and social inequality. But to suggest that these concerns should categorically deter people from procreation is to ignore just how resilient and adaptable humans are. People who care about these issues should be galvanized, not paralyzed, by them.