By Alexis Blue, University Communication
Today
Many respondents to the surveys were concerned about bringing their children into a world with an uncertain future. Many have also suggested that children offer hope for a better and brighter tomorrow.
When deciding whether to have children, there are many factors to consider: finances, support systems, personal values. For a growing number of people, climate change is also being added to the list of considerations, says a University of Arizona researcher.
Sabrina Helm, an associate professor at the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is lead author of a new peer-reviewed study looking at how climate change should influence people’s decisions about children or children.
Sabrina Helm
“For many people, the question of whether or not they should have children is one of the biggest struggles they face in their lives,” Helm said. “If you are worried about the future of climate change, it will obviously have an impact on how you view this very important decision in your life.”
Helm and her colleagues wanted to better understand the specific reasons regarding climate change that people have for not having children. They started by analyzing online comments in response to news articles written about the growing trend of people losing children due to climate change.
They then looked for adults aged 18 to 35 who said that climate change plays an important role in their reproductive decision-making. They interviewed 24 participants about their concerns.
The researchers’ findings, published in the journal Population and Environment, identify three main themes that emerged in the online comments and interviews.
- Overconsumption. That was the most common concern expressed in interviews, Helm said. Nearly all participants said they were concerned about how children would contribute to climate change through an increased carbon footprint and overexploitation of resources that could become scarcer in the future, such as food and water.
- Overcrowding. Overcrowding was the biggest concern among online commentators, and it was often mentioned in interviews as well, Helm said. Some participants said they felt that having more than two children would be problematic and even selfish because they would replace themselves and their partner. Some said they viewed adoption as a more responsible choice. “Adoption is seen as the low-carbon alternative,” Helm said.
- An uncertain future. Interviewers and online commentators have also frequently expressed a sense of doom over the future as climate change continues unnoticed. Many have said that they will feel guilty or as if they are doing something morally or ethically wrong if they bring a child into a world with such an uncertain future.
While the “doom” perspective was common, it was also balanced with expressions of hope, Helm said. Some interviewers and commentators have said that the idea of children gives hope for a better and brighter future. Others have expressed hope that future generations can contribute to improving the environment by raising awareness and action on climate change.
“There was a hope that future generations would get the job and things would improve,” Helm said. “But it puts a lot of burden on small children.”
Understanding how climate change affects reproductive decision-making is part of a larger effort by Helm and other researchers to understand how climate change affects individuals mentally and emotionally. Helm noted that anxiety about climate change is increasing, especially among younger people.
“A lot of people are currently getting serious about mental health when it comes to climate change,” she said. “Then you add this very important decision about children, which is taken very lightly, and it’s an important topic from a public health perspective. It all has to do with this bigger topic of how climate change affects people beyond the immediate effects of weather phenomena. . “
Helm said many participants in the study expressed anger and frustration over the fact that family members and friends did not take their concerns about it.
“It’s still a bit taboo to even talk about this – about how worried they are – in an environment where there are still people who deny climate change,” Helm said. “I think the lack is an opportunity to talk about it and hear others’ voices. Maybe this research will help.”