Meet Anna Lee. She’s a fourth-year English major, interning for CNN Opinion. On top of collaborating with the University of Oxford Student newspaper, The Malala Fund (Assembly), and The Borgen Project, she’s also been churning out pieces for a variety of outlets. The thoughts she’s jotting down here are her own, and no one else’s.
Looking forward to the day she’s ready for a kid, Athena and William are popular names for a girl and a boy she’s got on her mind. But the current global state makes her think twice. Everywhere she looks, the world is screaming crisis. Like others in her generation, Anna’s reeling from the effects of climate change. Child rearing seems less and less feasible with each passing day.
Join the list of Gen Z’ers who are sworn off having kids – as seen through the lens of a 2019 18-year old Emma Lim, who shared her decision to postpone family plans. Climate anxiety’s growing heavier, Anna argues, leaving us with this pressing question: Is it still okay to bring children into a planet that seems beyond saving?
She’s struck by the 40% of 16- to 25-year-olds who, according to findings from the University of Bath, aren’t eager to have kids in a world like this. People are worried, and it’s not hard to see why. And it’s not just younger regular folks who feel the weight of climate anxiety – the stars and public officials in the limelight are vocal about their fears too.
While we’ve got generations before us that had to deal with crises of their own, Anna notes that we’re at an inherent disadvantage with climate change. Past conflicts and economic downturns had resolutions, whereas the current environmental emergency doesn’t seem to offer any. World cooperation? It seems like a distant dream. As the gap between the haves and the have-nots widens, bringing children into this world simply feels unjust.
Anna’s well aware that things might change as she grows older, but the thought of potentially passing on her climate anxiety to her offspring feels like a birthright she doesn’t want to give. Plus, doomsday clocks, surges in disease and health issues, and financial disarray look like too great a burden for future generations.
Even if the Earth seems to live on borrowed time, Anna isn’t giving up her say in the matter. Refusing to leave the fate of future generations solely in the hands of those who’ve failed to protect the planet, she’s embracing sustainable habits — reusing plastic, opting for local food sources, and championing ethical fashion.
Slowing down on parenthood isn’t a declaration for everyone to follow in suit. Instead, it’s an invitation to step into the shoes of this generation — one marked by uncertainty about the world that lies ahead. Given today’s outrageous climate predicament, choosing to…
