Is It Un-Environmental to Have Kids?
The problem with overpopulation — and with the overpopulation argument.
If you spend enough time throwing opinions and arguments around on the internet, you’re bound to get in trouble. Inevitably, someone will say something you don’t like. Sometimes it’s pretty harsh, like, “having kids is un-environmental.”
Full disclosure: I have three with two different mothers. That actually puts me below “replacement rate,” calculated as 2.1 children for every woman. In other words, I’m responsible for 1.5 children per woman between the two women I share children with (which is below even the current US birth rate at 1.8).
Still, I’m obviously motivated to defend having children because I have three that I love more than anything. The way it worked out, they’ve all been under the same roof with me and my wife, and I’ve had the full family experience — for just over twenty years now — and it’s been amazing. I love being a father.
I can’t possibly be objective, then — but I’m still going to try to present information here that provokes thoughtfulness on the matter, and I welcome any considerate discussion in the comments.
According to statista.com, the United States is the second-highest emitting country in the world, with the average American…
