Should you have kids if you worry about climate change and the environment? The dilemma facing green couples and how they are dealing with it
- Babies can be a huge concern for couples who want to limit their ecological impact or worry about the state of the world into which they would bring children
- Those who do choose to have babies can reduce their impact by way of items like reusable nappies and second-hand gear, and actions such as breastfeeding
Since Helen Wu’s wedding last year, her friends and colleagues have repeatedly asked her when she will have a baby, but her answer doesn’t change.
“No,” says the committed environmentalist, who is in her 40s and childless. “As I grow older, more and more I think human beings are very destructive to the world.”
A production stage manager at a theme park, Wu first started paying attention to the natural world as a keen hiker in high school. She says there are a number of reasons why she lives an environmentally aware life, which for her includes not having children.
“What about nature?” she asks as an example. “We are consuming it much faster than it can replenish itself.”
A lot of environmentally minded people worry about how many children they should have. In 2019, when Britain’s Prince Harry interviewed conservationist Jane Goodall for Vogue, he mentioned he wanted to limit the number of children in his family.
“Two, maximum!” he said. “But I’ve always thought: this place is borrowed. And, surely, being as intelligent as we all are, or as evolved as we all are supposed to be, we should be able to leave something better behind for the next generation.”
