Yes, do have children in the face of climate change.

“When I think of climate change, I don’t think I can bring children into this?world.”?

Every time I hear an iteration of this I am deeply saddened.?Setting aside overpopulation and the use of resources, this is the voice of those who despair even the possibility of a happy childhood or a productive adulthood as the climate warms. "Better not to exist at all than live through that," they say.

I get it. It’s hard to see the good life in climate change, with the wildfires and floods and diminishing croplands and insect extinctions and feedback loops and collapsing supply chains and… but look at this a different way. Ask yourself, “What does it take for my child to live a happy, fulfilling and meaningful life?”

In his book Stumbling on Happiness, Dan Gilbert writes about affective forecasting. This is our tendency to look into the future, predict happiness levels, and get them completely wrong. It's one thing to be disappointed by a dress bought online, but what if that incorrect prediction prevents us from giving birth to the next generation?

Don’t assume your sadness for the future will be your child’s lived experience. You might be surprised to know that humans are generally happy, and we adapt to shocks by returning to our happy baseline. The field of positive psychology calls this hedonic adaptation, or the hedonic treadmill.?

A study comparing Polish people in a modern environment to the Hadza hunter-gatherers living in the deserts of Tanzania found the Hadza to be happier. Technology constrained traditional cultures living in harsh environments often score higher on happiness levels than those of us in the Western world. One study found, “that Inuit, Maasai or Amish report generally high levels of happiness and life satisfaction.”

Why? How can they be happy when they already live in an environment we associate with the worst of climate change?

Because they still have each other.

Ironically, the dangers of climate change may give your child's life more meaning. The uncertainty of climate change may lead to more trusting societies. A study at the University of Virginia found, “when wanting and uncertainty are high and personal control is lacking, people may be more likely to help others.” They call this karmic-investment, the hope that good deeds will come back to you. A University of Freiburg study showed that in controlled tests, “participants who experienced acute social stress… engaged in substantially more prosocial behavior (trust, trustworthiness, and sharing)”. In other words, it’s easy to be a keyboard troll when you have a stable world to live in, but you’re less likely to cross those lines when your life depends on others.

The key to survival is keeping all of this?—?the catastrophe and the family?—?in context.?

We can find happiness even in environmental duress, and we can find meaning in life even in times of extreme hardship.

I’ll be the first to admit the world has enough humans without adding your child to the mix. If you don’t want children, that’s your personal choice and must be respected. But don’t say it’s because of climate change, or because you can’t afford them, or because their lives will be too hard.?

Your ancestors crossed oceans without a dollar in their pocket, worked three jobs, had eight children knowing six of them would die young, just to give the next generation a future.?That next generation is you.

Even today, watch a woman in Kenya or Benin or Sudan carry a child on her back and a bucket in her arms as she treks four hours to gather water. Would you tell her not to bring a child into her world? Or will you help her build a better world for her child?

We already live in the world you’re afraid of. And there are children here, too.

The world is what you make?it

My son is 17 and wants to be an engineer. I told him, “Look at the climate crisis as an opportunity. We have never needed engineers more. You will spend your life finding ways to help people live within climate constraints and working toward solving climate change. It is a fantastic time to be alive.”?

Martin Seligman wrote, “While you can’t control your experiences, you can control your explanations.” By setting the stage, I’ve given my child a challenge that will help him find happiness no matter how bad things get.?

The hopelessness you feel may have less to do with climate change and more to do with your explanations.?

Foregoing children is a version of middle class retreat, as Margaret Mead had called suburbia in 1961, a “retreat from trust in and responsibility for others.” Having a child requires trust in others, the belief they'll collectively create a safer world for your child to live in. To swear off children is not just a lack of trust in our/their ability to resolve climate change. It distances us from taking responsibility for the part we're playing right now.

Henry Ford said, “If you ask people what they want, they’ll say ‘faster horses’,” because they could never dream of automobiles or airplanes or rocket ships. Is this you, today, foregoing new life because you don’t believe in faster horses? What your children will invent to adapt to and even solve climate change is beyond your wildest imaginings.

Have children, or adopt a child in need of parents, and when you grow old tell them why.

It is because you have faith in them.

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