Save the Planet: Have Fewer Kids

LiveScience.Com:

For people who are looking for ways to reduce their "carbon footprint," here's one radical idea that could have a big long-term impact, some scientists say: Have fewer kids.

Read the whole story: LiveScience.Com

Comments

[whiteguyforiran]

All liberals/democrats/lefties/progressives/ should cease having children, that would be a great start.

[zhyachts]

All programs, accomplished or proposed, to save our planet from environmental disaster are ineffective small band-aids on a very large wound. That wound is over population and it is the greatest threat to survivability on this planet. Everybody reading this knows the earth's population has exceeded any reasonable carrying capacity. However, except for China, nobody has the guts to even mention the subject, let along do anything about it.

Having a child is, or should be, the most important decision people make during their lifetime. It has a profound effect on the remainder of their life's, the lives of those around them and, ultimately, the survival of civilization. This decision has to be made with the foremost goal of creating a functional member of society. Not because of the usual reasons: 1) "babies are fun", 2) "my friends have them, its the thing to do", 3) "our parents want grandchildren", 4) "it was a religious obligation", 5) "it was an accident", 6) "it may hold my marriage together", 7) "I can qualify for support money", 8) "it just happened" , 9) "my biological clock is running out", or 10) "an urge for a few months of unconditional love" (breedlust)".

[mijnheer]

It's true that there are far too many people on the planet. But, as some commenters have pointed out, we've already taken care of the problem: birth rates are dropping significantly just about everywhere. We've put the engines of our supertanker into reverse, but we'll keep moving forward (greater population) for some decades yet.

The challenge now is to focus on other ways of mitigating our impact on the planet. And about the most effective way a person can do that is to stop eating meat. Indeed, it is hardly an exaggeration to say that the meat industry is destroying the planet.
http://letsactnow.org/

[Lest We Forget]

If there are too many people, the solution is not having fewer births, the solution is NO births. Compulsory sterilization for everybody! Zero population growth is the way to go. Eventually the human race will die out and the earth will be totally natural.
No more worries about carbon footprints EVER.

[LOCUTUS13]

I can't remember where I read it but there is a report that says if the birth rate were one child per family the population would shrink by over half in a little over a century.

[LOCUTUS13]

No, that is an exaggeration.

[SonofLiberty1]

One thing that most folks seem to forget that having children produces work. The more babies that are born...the more diapers and little baby clothes need to be produced..Little kids clothes and toys too
etc...

Now, just suppose that, all of a sudden, less kids are born...what happens?

Sorry to let you go but there is less demand for baby diapers, baby clothes, cribs....etc.

No such thing as a free lunch!

[NL207]

few children --> collapse of society

few childre + immigration --> conversion of society to alien culture.

[COPerez]

Your lack of imagination is laughable - or would be if it weren't so sad.

Fewer kids = more resources available to a smaller population in the future, less pollution, less raw materials used, etc., etc. I cannot see how a smaller population can result in the collapse of society; although it's easy to see how the opposite could be true.

[blimie]

People are already having fewer children. before we do anything drastic, how about dealing competently with the basics like recycling, reusable shopping bags and renewable energy/fuels.

[denisew]

The old BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY when the earth had 6 people was okay. But now it is not, it is up to religions to speak of population control from the pulpits.

Ultra orthodox people of all the major religions are adding to the population with no goal in mind except to swell the ranks of their religion.

[RTIII]

_This_ scientist has been advocating we all have fewer children for about 30 years!
.

[NL207]

Too bad your parents didn't take your advice.

[RTIII]

My guess is you already know you're a

j
e
r
k

Right?
.

[amfilmlvr]

"The numbers don't lie" - "The facts remain" These are not facts these are statistical models, statistical models about human behavior. I think the information is important and should be shared in the vein of environmental and public health suggestions.

I support implementing policies like getting subsidized vasectomies or tubes tied, or providing people subsidized long term birth control. I don't think repealing the tax credit for kids thing will fly, b/c that can be used on adopted as well as biological children. I don't think the IRS wants to get into requiring DNA samples and birth certificate long forms as documentation along with purchase receipts. "I'm sorry you're not eligible for a Hope credit b/c the DNA test shows your are biologically related to the minor."

I do not think this information should be the basis of any sweeping reproduction policy. Pro-choice is just that, personal informed choice. There is way too much cultural, interpersonal and political impacts on reproduction to just focus on the statistical models.

[noneIn2008]

The Malthusians propose reducing the population to 600 million.

[mikefina]

Well, let's start by reducing the Malthusians to just the direct descendents of Malthus--the rest are just repeating what he said.

[Bjarni]

Many countries already have negative birth rates.

There are groups who advocate that people kill themselves for the good of the planet. http://www.vhemt.org/ ofcourse the founders of the group haven't killed themselves yet....

Why not just advocate that we have a massive war so almost everyone dies, that way you don't have to worry about this problem anymore, and dont' have to wait for the resaults....

And lets get rid of all insentives to have children..
I know of a case, single mother, having her 6th child. She has Childcare covered by the state/county, gets foodstamps to feed the children, has assisted housing. All children are covered by Medicaid. Had she only had 1 or 2 children, she'd be above the poverty line and would have to pay out of pocket for all those things, but because she was enabled to have so many, it's a cost plus for her to have kids, and that's why she's pregnant with her 6th.

[SonofLiberty1]

I have two brothers and one sister and my youngest brother is dead.

My sister has been married twice, she's 40 and she has not had a child.

That leaves my brother and me.

My brother got married and has two children.

I'm 52 and have never been married but haven't ever really wanted children.

[sunnybunny]

Didn't people start having less children ever since the early 60's?

[noneIn2008]

Just some. Look inside the specific demographics of birth. The worlds population is exploding.

[SonofLiberty1]

NO that's one of the biggest lies I've heard....

Look up the Replacement Fertility Rate...it's 2.1 Most nations are below this..look it up at the United Nations website...

Here is a good link by Jonathan Last of The Philadelphia Inqurer

http://ff.org/centers/csspp/library/co2weekly/20061228_01/20061228_07.html

Fact is that we are, as a species, not replacing ourselves or a Negative growth.

[doctorkosan]

No, that is why the population of the planet is at an all time high and continuing to grow daily. Are you sure you are the sunny bunny.

[notAMoron]

I figure that having lots of kids is the way to succeed in terms of natural selection. It is possible to live a low impact lifestyle and having lots of kids and passing that lifestyle and values on to the next generation will help more than hurt.

[LOCUTUS13]

that's oxymoronic.

[Kathryn Maver]

How about tax credits for people who DON'T have kids?

[ezeflyer]

That is an idea worth exploring.

[mikefina]

Couldn't we just 'retire' old people at ever earlier ages--say, age 65? No need for Social Security. No demands for long-term medical care. No costly visits to the grandparents during peak holiday and summer travel seasons.

Soilant Green.

[JulieSA]

Did you here about the woman in Oregon with cancer who was denied treatment by the state for her cancer (too expensive), and was offered assisted suicide instead?

She has the option to use private insurance, but if Obamacare becomes reality, private insurance will go out of business, and the government will take away our choices.

[SonofLiberty1]

Julie,

Public insurance will make private insurance competitive.

Of course, you have a job and insurance right?

[RaderBarbarian]

Julie SA is a rightwing plant. She wouldn't just pop up on this thread spouting rightwing rhetoric out of the blue. This is a rightwing tactic: sabotage lefty websites with diatribes and bullshit. Sometimes it works. Call them on it when you see it. That works even better.

[1differentdrummer]

And you have a crystal ball, right? No one can with any objectivity defend the status quo. We need healthcare reform badly. How badly? Well, look at how stressed out and dishonest the sickness industry is today. They see that the public option will be competeitive and they will need to compete on price. Ooops, fewer perks for the CEOs. Because of that they will lie and instigate near-riots.

[peanut2005]

Give me a break or give me the link, please.

[mercury613]

Our "choices" are already dictated by big insurance companies. You are living in a fantasy world.

[RTIII]

No, not Soilant Green, Logans Run. Soilant Green wasn't just age related and it was by choice...

Logan's Run, however, has pretty much the exact plot you propose.
.

[SonofLiberty1]

Look at what is happening in Europe...folks are not getting married and not having many kids.
Adults are living way past retirement age...and they aren't doing the work of the nation.

The governments of Europe are begging their people to have kids.

[nemain]

"The governments of Europe are begging their people to have kids."

Links please? This would be funny if governments are begging people to have kids....for what natural select.....i mean natural enslavement?.....aka "work of the nation"

[LOCUTUS13]

With the world population as it is right now just one major event like a super volcano erupting would cause starvation on a scale most people can"t imagine.

[omobob]

Warning: Stop watching "Armageddon Week" on the Discovery Channel.

[LOCUTUS13]

I don't