3 ms·

Don't let climate change stop you from having children

jacooper 4y ago
I really like this article. Especially this part: “The green future has to be a welcoming one, even a thrilling one. If people cannot see themselves in it, they will fight to stop it. If the cost of caring about climate is to forgo having a family, that cost will be too high. A climate movement that embraces sacrifice as its answer or even as its temperament might do more harm than good. It may accidentally sacrifice the political appeal needed to make the net-zero emissions world real.” I think this is a big issue in the climate movement, We see dumb stuff like Shutting Nuclear Plants while firing up Coal plans[1] and people calling to shoot anyone who supports nuclear power[2] or calls to ban meat. It's just Virtue signaling, Picking things that are the most visible, Like not eating meat or not having children, things that affect peoples life much more than they have an impact on the climate. Replacing one Coal plant with a nuclear one will do much more to stop climate change than you or thousands not having children and not eating meat or any individual act you, or they can do. This focus on picking the most visible thing is driving many people away from caring about climate change. It's now just a race about who sacrifices their lives more for the climate, which is absolutely what you don't tell people to get them to care about something. I think it's a natural result of Social media, it has its benefits like how fast Climate change went mainstream and downsides like this. 1. https://twitter.com/energybants/status/1532054820311470080 https://twitter.com/energybants/status/1532054820311470080 2. https://twitter.com/energybants/status/1532842139117395968 https://twitter.com/energybants/status/1532842139117395968
usrn 4y ago
If you don't have children because you're worried about the environmental impact then the world will be overrun with people who don't share your views on sustainability. EDIT: You can downvote this but it's true by definition. Other movements such as the shakers have experienced a similar fate.
- toomuchtodo 4y ago
  Good luck to those folks in a world where they can’t afford food, fuel, and energy for air conditioning. I see gasoline is $5-6/gallon in many markets, and the price of electricity and food continues to rise. How long can financially marginal people last in a world where that is the new normal? Sure, irresponsible people are always going to have kids, doesn’t mean their existence is going to be great or long. I have no solution for people who make poor permanent life choices.
more_corn 4y ago
Standing on the brink of nuclear war. Mass shootings daily. Structural inequality. Wildly unfair legal and tax systems… The willful ignorance, misinformation, and inaction around climate change is the least of it. Imagine life is a board game and you’re explaining the rules, the exceptions for the rich and powerful, the risks to watch out for. For god’s sake. We tax people who make minimum wage while billionaires and their corporations somehow pay no tax. Tell me with a straight face that’s fair. And the tax we do collect we spend on bullshit that doesn’t help anyone, certainly not the people who need it. Our government agencies don’t even work. I’ve got a friend who applied for asylum years ago. A judgment could be made in an hour and she’s in limbo for close to a decade. I waited in line at the DMV for 3 hours the other day. And yet we can afford the f35 boondoggle. Is the F35 making the world better? Definitively not. Can we even talk about that calmly? Nope. This world we’ve created is wildly unfair and unsafe. If I were forced to tally up all the good and bad. Really, honestly. I’m not convinced the scales of justice would tilt in our favor.
- boppo1 4y ago
  You can't be responsible for all that. You can be responsible for being a little better to your neighbors and family. Just start there man.

I really like this article. Especially this part: “The green future has to be a welcoming one, even a thrilling one. If people cannot see themselves in it, they will fight to stop it. If the cost of caring about climate is to forgo having a family, that cost will be too high. A climate movement that embraces sacrifice as its answer or even as its temperament might do more harm than good. It may accidentally sacrifice the political appeal needed to make the net-zero emissions world real.” I think this is a big issue in the climate movement, We see dumb stuff like Shutting Nuclear Plants while firing up Coal plans[1] and people calling to shoot anyone who supports nuclear power[2] or calls to ban meat. It's just Virtue signaling, Picking things that are the most visible, Like not eating meat or not having children, things that affect peoples life much more than they have an impact on the climate. Replacing one Coal plant with a nuclear one will do much more to stop climate change than you or thousands not having children and not eating meat or any individual act you, or they can do. This focus on picking the most visible thing is driving many people away from caring about climate change. It's now just a race about who sacrifices their lives more for the climate, which is absolutely what you don't tell people to get them to care about something. I think it's a natural result of Social media, it has its benefits like how fast Climate change went mainstream and downsides like this. 1. https://twitter.com/energybants/status/1532054820311470080 https://twitter.com/energybants/status/1532054820311470080 2. https://twitter.com/energybants/status/1532842139117395968 https://twitter.com/energybants/status/1532842139117395968

usrn 4y ago

If you don't have children because you're worried about the environmental impact then the world will be overrun with people who don't share your views on sustainability. EDIT: You can downvote this but it's true by definition. Other movements such as the shakers have experienced a similar fate.

toomuchtodo 4y ago
Good luck to those folks in a world where they can’t afford food, fuel, and energy for air conditioning. I see gasoline is $5-6/gallon in many markets, and the price of electricity and food continues to rise. How long can financially marginal people last in a world where that is the new normal? Sure, irresponsible people are always going to have kids, doesn’t mean their existence is going to be great or long. I have no solution for people who make poor permanent life choices.

more_corn 4y ago

Standing on the brink of nuclear war. Mass shootings daily. Structural inequality. Wildly unfair legal and tax systems… The willful ignorance, misinformation, and inaction around climate change is the least of it. Imagine life is a board game and you’re explaining the rules, the exceptions for the rich and powerful, the risks to watch out for. For god’s sake. We tax people who make minimum wage while billionaires and their corporations somehow pay no tax. Tell me with a straight face that’s fair. And the tax we do collect we spend on bullshit that doesn’t help anyone, certainly not the people who need it. Our government agencies don’t even work. I’ve got a friend who applied for asylum years ago. A judgment could be made in an hour and she’s in limbo for close to a decade. I waited in line at the DMV for 3 hours the other day. And yet we can afford the f35 boondoggle. Is the F35 making the world better? Definitively not. Can we even talk about that calmly? Nope. This world we’ve created is wildly unfair and unsafe. If I were forced to tally up all the good and bad. Really, honestly. I’m not convinced the scales of justice would tilt in our favor.

boppo1 4y ago
You can't be responsible for all that. You can be responsible for being a little better to your neighbors and family. Just start there man.