Deciding to have a baby amid the climate crisis: whatever you’re feeling, you’re not alone

The Climate Baby Dilemma airs Friday, November 25th at 9pm on CBC and is now streaming on CBC Gem. 

Have you ever felt a mixture of joy and sadness when looking at a child’s face? At first glance, their adorableness rouses glee. But then you think about the water shortages, extreme weather, and deepening inequality that scary climate headlines constantly tell us is coming for their generation, and therein lies the grief. 

The global climate crisis is affecting how young people feel about having children. 

One in four childfree American adults, according to a poll released by Morning Consult in 2020,  say climate change is a factor in their decision to not have kids. In 2021, I co-authored a global study that was published in The Lancet. We surveyed 10,000 youth in 10 countries, and nearly 40 per cent of 16- to 25-year-olds reported feeling hesitant to have kids one day because of climate change. 

Many young activists are connecting their reproductive decisions to their climate fears. In 2019, 18-year-old Canadian student Emma Lim created #No Future, No Children, a pledge not to have children until governments take serious action against climate change. More than 10,000 young people took the pledge by 2020.

In the CBC Docs Original The Climate Baby Dilemma, I talk to people who are hesitant to bring new life into the world amidst their climate anxiety. I also meet parents who are emboldened to act, fighting for a better future for the children they have. 

Whatever you’re feeling, you’re not alone

Perhaps you’ve questioned having kids, considered adoption so you can have a family without committing another new person to our turbulent world, or experienced sleepless nights because your kids are already here and thinking about their future makes you anxious. 

If so, you’re not alone. 

I myself faced the question of whether to have a baby while writing Generation Dread, a book about the mental health impacts of the climate crisis.

If you’re on the fence about having children thanks to the climate emergency, firstly, I’m sending you compassion. I know it’s not a fun place to be. 

Coming to a decision around this dilemma is not easy, and for some, it’s downright excruciating. While the pressures causing this are public concerns, it’s an entirely personal decision with no right answer. 

With so many people now perched on this fence, I’d like to share some of the perspectives that helped me think and feel through my own decision.