With the world in disarray, should we still have children?
Do we owe it to future generations to stop having kids?
In December, the inimitable actress and activist Jane Fonda wrote in The New York Times, “Each of us one day will have to answer this question: What did I do to protect the planet for our children, grandchildren and so many precious species while we still had time?” Of course, she’s right. This is a time when we are called upon to be fierce protectors of the earth even though, to this day, there are those who invalidate the climate crisis calling it a farce or part of a political play. Or, when people do acknowledge that this moment in time is a tipping point, they refuse to see it as a “crisis” and minimize what’s happening. But we can’t deny that this is an unprecedented moment as proven by an extraordinary series of events. More and more ice caps have been melting, the Amazon was in flames for weeks, and even in the Philippines, there have been (and will be, according to predictions) more frequent and more destructive typhoons. The planet’s devastation is moving at a pace we’ve never seen before.
And so, like Fonda, who moved to Washington just to start the Fire Drill Fridays protests that demand action from leaders, we, too, march. We, too, make our own lifestyle changes. And younger generations are set to bear the brunt of this fight. And fight we do.
From millennials to gen zs, we, as a group, mobilize and protest. We speak out. We post on social media. We do what we can to be part of the conversation, to spread awareness, and to keep informed. But there’s only so much marching can do. And tweeting, no matter how intelligent or strongly-worded a beautifully-strewn 280 characters can be, these efforts can come across as futile, and because of this, tweeters receive the ire of the rest of the internet.
People tend to use the term “woke” pejoratively but wokeness, when coupled with action, can make an impact. (To be clear, I do not—to borrow the vernacular of the youth—stan being woke for wokeness’s sake.) But, really, without the support of leaders who can enforce actual change, the collective switch to Klean Kanteen tumblers and metal straws can only do so much to curb waste and minimize carbon footprint.
So, in times of desperation, we ask ourselves, what else can we resort to? Well, for better or for worse, we take this ecoresponsibility to heart. And bodies. So much so that now, maybe prompted by a question similar to Fonda’s, we aim to answer the question “what am I doing to save the planet from extinction?” And, perhaps more markedly than in previous generations, we ask ourselves, in the current state of the planet, should we still have kids?
Filipinos are family-centric. We’ve always been. Society expects us to couple up, get married, and immediately have kids. The more, the merrier! This is what “leveling up in life” looks like in this country. Just observe the line of questioning at any gathering. From “Do you have a boyfriend?” to “When are you having kids?” It’s all about building a family. Think about it, even the concept of matandang dalaga or the crabby old spinster, embittered by her lack of a family, is often presented as a cautionary tale.
Blame it on multiple facets of modern life—the economy, the political climate, hustle culture, dating culture, among others—but times are changing. More people are either postponing marriage or forgoing it altogether. And it makes sense. We are not as cash liquid as our parents were decades ago. The cost of living compared to wages is exorbitant. We are a lot more career-oriented, putting relationships on the back burner, sacrificing familial pursuits for success. And these are major factors affecting decisions on marriage and children. Now there’s another, maybe even bigger, factor to consider: the climate crisis. Is the current state of our environment actually influencing the younger generations’ desire to birth and raise children?
“THE CURRENT STATE OF OUR ENVIRONMENT ACTUALLY INFLUENCING THE YOUNGER GENER ATIONS’ DESIRE TO BIRTH AND RAISE CHILDREN?”
Apparently, it is. In an attempt to get a sense of where young Filipinos stand on this issue, I posed a question on Instagram and it garnered some passionate responses as to why it’s just not right to bring children into a dying world.
User @madamninay said, “How can you raise them with heightened state oppression and environmental injustice?” User @ rholizasy echoes the sentiment. She said, “YES. The world is about to end, why make them suffer through all that’s happening around us?” @Aynbernos, a YouTuber, also responded, “I do want a family so if ever I might just adopt.”
Tara Cabullo, a Digital Performance and Media Manager for Globe Telecom, who has been leading a sustainable life for years, says the state of the environment is her primary reason for not wanting to have kids. “I’ve considered my carbon footprint for four years now, I started to think how another human being could also generate more into the world and I realized I could satisfy my maternal instincts instead with my dogs,” she said in an interview. “I feel like it’s a choice we need to determine and especially if we have to make the choice of creating a child, responsibility to educate that child to truly care for the world. Nobody should not be allowed to not have children if they choose so but to be mindful of the future.” Cabullo, acknowledging that she may one day change her position on having children, is currently researching how to freeze her eggs and says she may opt to do so if “the process isn’t too heavy with carbon footprint.”
Of course, not everyone feels similarly. Depending on one’s life stage, relationship status, and model household (often the kind of household they grew up in), people vary in their inclination to have kids. But no matter what they end up deciding, it seems like the environment is being factored into the decision-making process, something unheard of in the country years ago. Political factors, maybe, especially during Martial Law. But climate change? Even a quick conversation with my mother confirmed this, she was baffled by the idea. For her, the looming threat of a ticking biological clock takes precedence.
Some may be quick to dismiss these young Filipinos as being too influenced by the west, being too involved in a battle that they are not a part of. But we are not safe in this nook of the globe. The climate crisis isn’t isolated in the west.
Antonio La Viña, former undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and staunch environmental advocate, wrote in his column for Manila Standard, “The Philippines will not be spared the impact of the climate emergency. In fact, we are at the top of the list of the most vulnerable.” He affirmed, “The young are the ones particularly affected by [climate change]. This is because those 30 years old or under will be at the peak of their lives when the worst impact of climate change is felt between 2040 and 2050.”
I’m personally impressed that the environment is a consideration in a decision so intimate yet so monumental. I think it’s selfless to consider the world in which your hypothetical child would live in and opt not to have a baby even if you really want to. While I applaud that, isn’t it also upsetting that our leaders aren’t doing enough, if anything at all, that we have to take it upon ourselves and give up our innermost desires to take into our own hands the plight to save the world? We have to do our part, yes. But giving up having children because world leaders and business magnates refuse to acknowledge a global threat is, frankly, unfair. It’s a huge sacrifice. The fact that these young individuals have to bear the burden, feel the generational guilt, and live with a sense of impending doom is upsetting. Alas, the onus is on us to consume less, to support only brands and companies that are making aggressive strides towards sustainability, and to try to affect policy and practice. It’s a tall order. It really is.
I had the pleasure of interviewing the late Gina Lopez, who to me was the fiercest environmental advocate in the country, a couple of years ago and I remember seeing the fire in her eyes and hearing the conviction in her voice when she started talking about millennials and how much she believes in their role in this fight. “I love millennials!” she exclaimed, beaming. She had so much faith in the youth, in our idealism and fervor, and in our willingness to take up arms for mother nature.
Whenever I think of her and Fonda, figures who place their trust on the likes of the brilliant and passionate Greta Thunberg, I, too, feel hope for the future. It’s completely unfortunate that the burden rests on these young people’s shoulders. But I, too, believe in the youth: the faces of children striking in schools, teens with their makeshift posters in protests, and student leaders facing down politicians and holding them accountable. I wish someday (soon) we could go back to calculating simpler and less grim factors in deciding whether or not we want to have kids. But until then, we carry on—we take matters into our own hands and hope we create a ripple effect.
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FACT THAT THESE YOUNG INDIVIDUALS HAVE TO BEAR THE BURDEN, FEEL THE GENERATIONAL GUILT, AND LIVE WITH A SENSE OF IMPENDING DOOM IS UPSETTING