Some Americans are so afraid of the 'end of the world as we know it,' they are avoiding having kids

pulse

February 6, 2018 7:46 PM

A growing number of American women are choosing to not procreate because of concerns about climate change.

Countries around the world are experiencing worsening symptoms of
A growing number of people are deciding to not have children, due to fears surrounding climate change, according to a recent New York Times report.
Though the research on population growth's effect on climate change is new, there's evidence that a higher number of people contributes to higher greenhouse-gas emissions globally.

Around the world, temperatures are increasing, sea levels are rising, oceans are warming, glaciers are shrinking, and tropical storms are occurring more frequently.

These are all symptoms of climate change, which scientists anticipate will worsen if we do not proactively curb carbon emissions.

Due to fears surrounding climate change, a growing number of people are choosing to not have kids. A recent New York Times piece explores this trend, which has been intensifying over the past decade, especially in the US.

growth of the world's population — which may rise from 7.4 billion people today to 9.8 billion by 2050 — will inevitably increase greenhouse-gas emissions, as well as water and food insecurity. A few countries, including China and the US, have had policy responses to population growth since the 1950s. These measures have ranged from enacting limits on how many kids citizens can legally have to increasing access to contraceptive services.

At the same time, the research on how population growth contributes to climate change is relatively new. Scientists have only recently started to examine the link, and much of that research has been limited to effects on carbon emissions. A 2017 study notes that, while widespread lifestyle changes can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, the issue of climate change is larger than the individual and will likely require political action to mitigate in meaningful ways.

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