Save the planet by sacrificing your pessimism, not your progeny, on Earth Day
As a Gen Z woman, I want to have children and address climate change without contradiction. Environmentalism should focus on saving the world for our species rather than from it. Population control is not a viable solution and its alleged climate benefits have been refuted.
Climate anxiety has led many to have regrets about starting a family, but avoiding having children due to climate change does not support environmental fixes. Positive legislation and falling emissions per person in the US show that the problem is having too few children, not too many.
We must remember the power of innovation and adaptation to overcome challenges, as predictions of overpopulation and famine have been proven wrong in the past. It’s important not to succumb to irrational climate doom and instead focus on reducing carbon pollution while strengthening the economy.
The path forward involves regulatory reform, innovation, and market-driven competition to create affordable and carbon-free technologies. Antinatalism, the belief that having children is harmful for the environment, is not a solution in the fight for a better planet.
Earth Day encourages smart action to protect the environment, but it’s not necessary to end your family tree in the process.
Alina Clough is a fellow at ConservAmerica and the president of the American Conservation Coalition’s DC, Maryland, and Virginia chapter.
