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Population panic lets rich people off the hook for the climate crisis they cause

• burntbridge 6y ago
  In my area I've noticed a disturbing trend - wealthy people tend to have big families; it has become kind of trendy. And why wouldn't it be? Having lots of kids is a sign of affluence, a status symbol. Also humans just love having kids, especially when all the negatives go away i.e. nannies, cleaners, a big house, one parent always at home.
• iamthemonster 6y ago
  It's great to see a Monbiot article that is rooted in something measurable and verifiable. He is normally prone to polemic and a lack of perspective but this article is fantastic. In terms of generating happiness, any spending above $100k/yr (maybe even $60k/yr) is broadly a waste, when put in the context of its negative externalities and then, when considering opportunity cost, it becomes ridiculous.
• Udik 6y ago
  Monbiot's argument is simple. There is no issue at all with Africa doubling its population to 2.6 billion (from 1.3) as long as they remain dirt poor. And since he presents as the beginning of the article the formula Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology his solution is of course to keep Africa's new billion in abject poverty while we proceed with decreasing both the affluence and the technology of the developed world.