The decision to create life
Recently I’ve been delivering the news to loved ones that my husband and I are expecting our first baby. This has been an overwhelmingly joyful experience. But at the same time, I’m struck by the dissonance between the unequivocally delighted reactions of family and friends, and the truth of the matter – that the decision we’ve made to reproduce is of questionable moral status, and should be subjected to the same (or greater) scrutiny as other, less momentous life decisions, such as purchasing an SUV.
In a controversial 2017 paper, Wynes and Nicholas showed that the most effective “lifestyle choice” an individual can make to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions is to have one fewer child. I can try to teach my child to respect other life – even bring her up an ‘eco-warrior’ – yet she cannot help but consume scarce resources and contribute to greenhouse gas
