Don't give your four year old an iPad then.

Having a kid is among the worst decisions a person can make for the environment. A childless person could smash iPads all they wanted and not make a dent in comparison.

Unless one of the kids you raise does something really great to improve the world. Not having kids to help the environment has no chance of working unless there is a world government that enforces the policy on everyone. This idea that not having children is a great good should be put rest. Raising children well is a lot of hard work and anyone who would do it well should be encouraged to have them.

> Unless one of the kids you raise does something really great to improve the world.

This is like saying “if he grows up to be a pro basketball player, he’ll be rich.” Should be pretty obvious that it’s an astronomical longshot at best.

Whether a child is raised well or not has nothing to do with their effect on the environment. Simply existing in the modern world clearly has a huge cost.

Overall net positive environmental impact over the generations I guess would be a better way of stating it. A culture that believes in not breeding (for any reason) will not last very long.

> Overall net positive environmental impact over the generations I guess would be a better way of stating it.

Multiple generations just multiplies the negative impact- it doesn't reverse it. At some point (which we may discover sooner rather than later) humanity's impact will be beyond repair.

Odd that I wasn't thinking about the environment when my wife and I discussed having children. Are you serious?

Yes. The environmental cost of a person is huge. People don’t like hearing it but there’s no amount of electric cars, recycling, etc. that can undo the damage of having a kid.

That's nice. I guess we should just get rid of everyone, then the Earth would be perfect!

Found the evolutionary dead-end.

Yes. Just less delusional about the impact my choices have than most people. It's fine to choose to have a kid. But don't fool yourself into thinking you're making a responsible choice when it comes to the environmental impact of doing so.

A South Park episode comes to mind... http://gph.is/2bjK3lK

I just don't know where you get off telling people they shouldn't have kids. Maybe you're just immature, I don't know, but there's nothing to be gained from it.

I specifically said, "It's fine to choose to have a kid."

My point is that if a person is concerned about the environment and the toll humanity is taking on it, recognize the affect your personal choice is having.

>It's fine to choose to have a kid.

Thanks for your blessing. It's everything else you said )moreso the way in which you said it) that's wrong.

Would you judge someone who said they were environmentally conscious but lived in a McMansion and drove a hummer? I don't see why having kids is any different.

You don't see why reproducing is different than owning a Hummer? You're obviously not a reasonable person.

Both are choices. Both have consequences. Why ignore one and not the other?

“Just less delusional...than most people.”

I can’t handle this level of edginess.

"Just less delusional about the impact my choices have than most people."

Please quote me in full during your ad hominem attacks.

How is being ignorant of or willfully ignoring the consequences of one's action not delusional?