"One less child per family saves an average 58.6 tonnes of carbon every year. Going car-free, with its average saving of 2.4 tonnes, is no real comparison."
From environmental to financial impacts, vanity to self-doubt and medical to societal concerns, more and more people are asking ‘why have children?’
Choosing a childfree lifestyle isn’t a choice for everyone, but for those who are making it a conscious decision, one of the major and growing motivations for declaring this status is on moral grounds. Mainly, this relates to climate change due to overpopulation, but some also think that it is cruel to bring more humans into a world of such uncertain future – the growing group of people sharing this belief call themselves Postnatalists.
Their reasoning sounds familiar. Environmental impact and unnecessary suffering are two key drivers of veganism, which – like childfree living – has recorded significant growth in recent years. In terms of going childfree, the statistics do back up the logic on the environmental argument. A 2017 Swedish study found that having one less child per family saves an average 58.6 tonnes of carbon every year. Going car-free is the next most effective way of reducing carbon, but with its average saving of 2.4 tonnes, there’s no real comparison.
Those with children or aspiring to have them will argue that logic has no place in this emotional, instinctual and very human action. And yet, the childfree movement is gaining momentum. Those projecting their childfree status include numerous increasingly vocal celebrities and influencers, such as actors Jennifer Aniston, Alison Brie and Jon Hamm, and racing driver Leilani Munter. While these ambassadors and a growing cohort of likeminded individuals share a life choice, they each have different reasons for making it.
