A fifth of female climate scientists who responded to Guardian survey said they had opted to have no or fewer children

Ihad the hormonal urges,” said Prof Camille Parmesan, a leading climate scientist based in France. “Oh my gosh, it was very strong. But it was: ‘Do I really want to bring a child into this world that we’re creating?’ Even 30 years ago, it was very clear the world was going to hell in a handbasket. I’m 62 now and I’m actually really glad I did not have children.”

Parmesan is not alone. An exclusive Guardian survey has found that almost a fifth of the female climate experts who responded have chosen to have no children, or fewer children, due to the environmental crises afflicting the world.

An Indian scientist who chose to be anonymous decided to adopt rather than have children of her own. “There are too many children in India who do not get a fair chance and we can offer that to someone who is already born,” she said. “We are not so special that our genes need to be transmitted: values matter more.

  • RagingRobot@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    6 months ago

    What if your kid was going to be the one to fix everything though? Lol now we are doomed

    • mutant_zz@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      6 months ago

      We’re not in a movie. Climate change isn’t going be solved by one brilliant scientist. It’s not even a scientific/technology problem at this point, it’s a political one.

        • otp@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          6 months ago

          Lmao…

          Your two ideas are…

          1. “Someone’s child will solve the problem”
          2. Well there’s nothing we can do

          ?

          • RagingRobot@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            edit-2
            6 months ago

            No my ideas are that I’ll live my life and be the best person I can.

            It was a joke when I said his kid could fix it. That guy’s obviously an idiot and his kids would be too

            How do you people not know sarcasm? So I need to dumb it down for you with the /s like back in the day on Reddit? I thought we moved past that

            • otp@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              0
              ·
              6 months ago

              Yes, it’s obvious that you were joking about the other commenter’s kid fixing the problem.

              The issue is that it embodies the sentiment that it’s “not our problem” and it’s for the future generation to figure out…and then when that was called out, the first alternative you brought up was defeatism, as if that’s the only alternative to someone in the future fixing the problem, lol

              • RagingRobot@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                0
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                edit-2
                6 months ago

                The defeatism was obviously sarcasm too though. So stop making all these assumptions about me.

                I obviously want the issues fixed and have hope that they will be since I said that I have my own children. I do my fair share as well.

                Also you talk about “defeatism” and that’s all I see in this thread. People give up on the chance to have kids not because they don’t want them but because some rich assholes have started to destroy the environment, things cost too much, the pay isn’t right, etc… that’s defeatism. The rich assholes are still having plenty of kids and they will be the ones to inherit the world.

      • Wolfy21_@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        6 months ago

        Cool, now you, an educated, well intent person with good morals won’t have any offspring to pass those values to, and thus won’t have any representation in the next generations. Meanwhile redneck Terry will make 7 children with 3 different women and teach them to hate the libruls and that the earth is flat.

        It is your decision not to have kids, I chose so myself too. But your line of thinking is in discord with the argument.

        • SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          6 months ago

          Have you met the kids of those rednecks? A lot are estranged from their parents.

          Especially with the internet, parents have a limited amount of control over kids, the more important part is education.

    • SolarMech@slrpnk.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      6 months ago

      We don’t have time to wait for kids to grow up before doing what we can. Ah, sorry. Before putting all of that responsibility on them and screaming “NOT IT!”