Climate change deters many from having children

As a result of the devastating impacts of climate change on humanity, many people have expressed their worries about the future of generations to come and decided not to have children, a study revealed on September 29.

According to a new survey conducted by Globe Scan in 31 countries, 40% of 29,293 people polled, especially those who are under 30 years old, agree that they will not have children, while 60% agree to have children. Meanwhile, 65% of the survey respondents see climate change as a “very serious” issue.

Of those polled, 37% said that they have personally been “greatly affected” by climate change, the survey showed.

Countries with the highest majorities of those who prefer not to have children include Egypt (61%), followed by Turkey (54%), then Hong Kong (53%), India (52%), and Thailand (51%). However, Kenyans and Indonesians largely disagreed, with only 23% and 18% respectively choosing not to have children.

“There is also an acute awareness of the injustice of poor people suffering the most. Public pressure for more drastic action on climate change will only grow over time,” the survey said.

The online survey covered the countries of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, the UK, the USA, and Vietnam.

Other surveys showed similar concerns and how climate change affects fertility. A survey conducted by Modern Fertility, published on December 1, 2021, showed that 58% of more than 2,800 people said they would consider having children, while 34% want fewer kids. Meanwhile, 30% said they think of moving to safer places before having children, and 26% think of adoption.

“Times of crises and wars affect people’s view of life and the future, and at the same time, these bad conditions negatively affect the psychological aspect of people, so as a result, people stop insisting on life and procreation,” political sociology expert Amaar Ali Hassan told Jusoor Post.

Vulnerability to extinction, threat, famine, natural disasters, or the effects of climate change make humans ask themselves why they have to preserve the species and why they give birth and allow children to face danger, Hassan said, adding that there are two factors that have pushed some people to avoid having children. The first one is the scientific knowledge stream that they receive from some media outlets that talk about serious harm to the earth and even threats to the future of the planet itself.

The other factor is the talk about legends and a return to ancient prophecies that speak religiously about the end of the world.

“There are hundreds of people in the Arab world on YouTube who talk about this matter and cite words from the religions and some old books about prophecies, and the rate of their follow-up has increased very dramatically,” Hassan said.

Historically, in every period of time throughout history, there were those who preached that the end of the world has approached. Such talk goes back thousands of years, he continued.

Hassan noted that awareness of history and what was said before can give immunity, as climate changes have occurred and despite that life continued on earth.

“Another theory says that the earth has resources that suffice 39 billion people, but injustice, misdistribution and misuse of resources lead to poverty and famine, so the solution is not having no children,” he said.