Children Environmentally Unfriendly? What next?

May 7, 2007 by Mommy Zabs
Filed under Children, Christianity, Current Events, Environment, Family, Motherhood

THIS article from The Sunday Times in London absolutely infuriates me. (hat tip Brit and Grit for linking to this)

Children ‘bad for planet’
By Sarah-Kate Templeton in London
May 07, 2007 12:00am

Having large families should be frowned upon as an environmental misdemeanour in the same way as frequent long-haul flights, driving a big car and failing to reuse plastic bags, says a report to be published today by a green think tank.

The paper by the Optimum Population Trust will say that if couples had two children instead of three they could cut their family’s carbon dioxide output by the equivalent of 620 return flights a year between London and New York.

John Guillebaud, co-chairman of OPT and emeritus professor of family planning at University College London, said: “The effect on the planet of having one child less is an order of magnitude greater than all these other things we might do, such as switching off lights.

“The greatest thing anyone in Britain could do to help the future of the planet would be to have one less child.”

In his latest comments, the academic says that when couples are planning a family they should be encouraged to think about the environmental consequences.

“The decision to have children should be seen as a very big one and one that should take the environment into account,” he added.

Professor Guillebaud says that, as a general guideline, couples should produce no more than two offspring.

The world’s population is expected to increase by 2.5 billion to 9.2 billion by 2050. Almost all the growth will take place in developing countries.

The population of developed nations is expected to remain unchanged and would have declined but for migration.

The British fertility rate is 1.7. The EU average is 1.5. Despite this, Professor Guillebaud says rich countries should be the most concerned about family size as their children have higher per capita carbon dioxide emissions.

This article addresses large families, and although I do not know that I will be having one of those, I sure would like to reserve the right to. Some of the most amazing parents I know are ones that have 3+ kids.

I am seeing more movement toward this ‘Politically Correct’ attitude that having children is environmentally unfriendly and downright irresponsible. The increasing global awareness seems to have caused some nutso extremests to think that because people are concerned about global warming it will make their child-hating acceptable. It may work for parts of the European Union right now… but not in the heartland of the United States. I hope that doesn’t change.

If you read here even semi-regularly you know I’m a Bible Believing Christian. This is what Jesus had to say about children:

Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

Matthew 18:3
He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 19:13-14
Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Mark 10:15,16
I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Mark 18:5-7
“And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!”

The fact is, God values children. That doesn’t mean everyone that believes in God should have children. It does however mean that children should never be seen as a mere pollution factor or addition to our carbon footprint. Call me an alarmist, but to me that seems like a baby step toward China where babies are murdered via infantacide everyday in attempts to control population.

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