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thegreger t1_iuh5kqh wrote

Reply to comment by azeldatothepast3 in Current climate pledges have us heading for a world that is 2.4 to 2.6°C hotter | UN Environment Program report finds that the international community is still falling far short of the Paris goals, with no credible pathway to 1.5°C in place. by imrussellcrowe

Ironically, people having kids is part of the problem.

Humanity should of course not suddenly stop having children entirely, but from a climate change perspective every added human (even one raised with good values) is definitely a much bigger negative than every SUV or every airplane journey.

My preachiest environmentalist friends are for some reason fine with having three children. It just seems like a massive amount of hypocrisy.

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azeldatothepast3 t1_iuhtvt6 wrote

This is a stupid argument. How do you know a child won’t grow to be a brilliant scientist or orator and reduce more greenhouse gas emissions that they produced?

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thegreger t1_iuhykfs wrote

Do you want to calculate the odds of that?

The vast, vast, vast majority of humans, including those who have gotten a very good upbringing, even just counting those who become scientists, create a hell of a lot more emissions than they reduce. Creating kids on the off chance that they might have a positive net effect on the environment is like going around shooting people on the off chance that you just accidentally remove a tumour from their body in the process.

Having multiple children is a selfish decision that is awful for this world. Way worse than anything else anyone does.

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azeldatothepast3 t1_iuhz5gq wrote

That’s such a negative, pessimistic, defeatist attitude. You have no idea what the chances of someone being a benefit to the environment in the future. No clue, but you defaulted to negative. There are too many nihilistic pessimists like you out there, you justify your negativity by convincing yourself you’re being realistic when you are absolutely not. I don’t have time to talk to nihilists. Please don’t respond back

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