As an inhabitant of the Earth, I hereby ask my fellow Humans of the Earth to consider stopping having kids.
Here's why:
1. The world population keeps growing1950: 2.5 billion people
2011: 7 billion people
And it's not going to stop (the world population is estimated to reach 9 billion by 2050)
2. We are already too manyA non-negligible portion of the world population lacks access to adequate housing, basic sanitation, or even food and clean water.
How about improving the condition of existing humans, before thinking about creating new ones (who will consume resources)?
Not to mention our impact on the environment (global warming, pollution, extinguished species, shrinking forests...)
Here's a pretty informative image:
http://www.upack.com/images/info/population600.jpgNow, even if you don't think there are too many of us, you can probably agree that there are
enough of us.
3. Having 2 kids is too much right nowIn the long term, if every couple has 2 children, there will be no population growth.
However in the short term (next few decades), due to
population momentum, and increasing life expectancy, having 2 kids (or even 1) is going to increase the population size.
For example, China has a fertility rate of 1.5, but isn't expected to reach zero population growth before 2030.
Also, remember that raising kids:
- is expensive
- will eat up most of your free time
- will increase your impact on the environment.
So, please:
- use contraception
- if you really want to raise a child, consider adopting one.
See also:
-
The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement (very rational).
-
The Church of Euthanasia (Sense of humor required)
We shouldn't just stop having them. We should plan them.