New to this thread so apologies if this isn’t very relevant. I (28F) am a first time mom to a 2 month old little girl. My baby’s arrival changed my life and I could not be more in love with her. The only feeling that overwhelms me even more than the love I have for her is the fear that her life will not be what she deserves.

I know that climate change is scary. I am terrified. Trump’s election horrified me and now I cannot stop thinking that I’ve doomed my daughter to a life of climate crises. I am not a scientist, just a really, really anxious mom.

Can anyone provide their most optimistic (but still realistic) takes on what our childrens’ futures will look like?

I could really use some hope.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/04/15/health/climate-crisis-parenting-bill-weir-wellness

by Inushe

36 comments

  1. I don’t think you have anything to worry about right now, but yea we need to fight against Trump’s bullshit.

  2. Id recommend a more positive sub reddit such as /r optimists unite, where we focus on the good, whilst also being realistic about the current situation

  3. Your feelings are completely understandable. It might not be that comforting, but liberal democracies were/are anyway not doing nearly enough to prevent catastrophic consequences, as there are too many interests behind fossil fuels, and while Trump makes it worse, it is also an alarming bell for everyone who would just not worry too much about it (foreigns governments included).

    For what I know, we are on track to make a good portion of the planet un-habitable by the end of the century, and while extreme weather events will be more and more frequent and dangerous, the one and biggest problem that will determine if human civilization ends or not is food production under extreme climate: that is, will we be able to make agriculture work? With the collapse of the AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation) and the acidification of oceans, the food chain will be at risk, which will make societies unstable and increase the risk of war.

    However the northern parts of the planet are not going to be an uninhabitable wasteland, and we could get away with just the southern and poorer parts of the world to really suffer, but if the socio-economic system doesn’t change then having a very hard second-half of life for present children is almost assured.

    That being said, not having children doesn’t solve this problem, as aging population is another collapse worthy factor (look at Japan/Korea), but humans needs to be on their wit’s end to actually be able to make drastic changes, as history proves…

  4. I suspect other economies such as China and India will begin making great steps towards climate friendly solutions and USA will get left behind until someone that’s not trump is elected. In the meantime act locally but think globally. Congratulations on the birth of your daughter.

  5. Our childrens’ lives will almost certainly be worse than ours. Just like ours are almost certainly worse than our parents. Does that mean they will be filled with misery? Are you? People still find joy and love and hope in this climate, and our children will do the same in the one they inherit, even if it’s worse.

  6. Right now is not what she is worried about. Her baby is 2 months old. Her future is very uncertain. The only thing I can think of for 50 years out, which would be 2074, is a mass die off from starvation, resource wars, and the ensuing plagues that follows. While humanity won’t all disappear, things are going to very different. And it’s unlikely that humanity would be able to recover to this particular level. Most of the resources needed to rebuild have already been used. I’m doubtful that we will have a very high technology base that supports whatever remnants of humanity that survives. More like the late 1800’s, if we’re lucky.

  7. The planet doubled solar output in two years. There’s something.

  11. I have a 4 year old and feel terrified like you a lot of the time. The science is grim and the likely outcome is mass displacement of people, crop failures and starvation, wars and likely further right wing leaders who do nothing but add to the problem.

    I try to take comfort in the small things now and make his life as happy as I can. I think to myself if someone had asked me if I’d prefer to be born and live in this world as it is today and likely will be in future, I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes as the alternative would be non existence. I think my child would say the same when they could understand the question.

    Things will get very very bad. But I hope that out of this things will change. The cognitive dissonance of going about our daily lives while our entire existence is on a trajectory for end times cannot continue. I try to take comfort in the quote from Martin Luther King, Jr: “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Change takes a long time, but it does happen. It can happen.

  12. I wish i could offer solace. But generation after generation keeps kicking the can down the road. I too am scared for my child.

  13. First time dad of a 2 months old boy here. I relate to your sentiment.

    My take on this is to let go of the dream life that we have been sold and been robbed. My job is to make sure that I develop and pass the ability to enjoy what is rather than regret what could have been. To deconstruct the lies that prop up modern lifestyles and strive for simplicity. To live like I think everyone could and should live. To try to be an example even if no one else follows.

    I don’t want to pass on anxiety, neither do I want false hope. I want to pass on the ability to enjoy good moments when they exist.

    It’s gonna be hard.

  14. AI will dispose of humans long before climate change kills us

  15. I’m a personal believer that things have to get dark before we can see the light, as people don’t tend to change until they have to change. I think Trump as president, as awful as it is, will at least accelerate this change by making it appear darker more quickly, I call him a Phoenix president. What we’re seeing here is the dying desperate attempts of patriarchal capitalism/colonialism trying to hold onto its power and they are pulling every dirty trick in the book. People will only go along with it for so long though, as they realize they don’t actually benefit from it in the end.

    I also believe that there is zero point in giving up hope, even if we cross certain climate thresholds hope still exists because it’s about mitigating the damage at that point. I have two daughters and I think about them a lot and their future, I am simply trying to raise them as strong, caring people; one of are huge deficits as a Western society is our lack of empathy and compassion for those around us, a direct result of decades of unbridled consumerism and keeping-up-with-the-Joneses.

    I realize that most in this sub probably don’t share my mentality, this can be a pretty grim place, that is their right but the honest answer is we don’t actually know what’s going to happen.

  16. First, congratulations! You’ve embarked on one of the most beautiful journeys that life offers.

    Of course there’s reason for hope. The climate problem can be affordably addressed, and I’m quite sure it will be, although not before we’ve exhausted all other options.

    However, parenthood doesn’t mean checking out. Stay engaged. Bring your daughter to rallies. Create a babysitting circle with other activists so that some of you can testify at public meetings. Join the other parents to take your kids hiking and learning about the natural world. Your daughter will learn from you what it means to love the Earth and to take an active role in protecting it.

  18. It’s absolutely crazy to me that people who are aware of how bad things are likely to get are still having kids.

    Maybe you should have considered what kind of world your offspring would be forced to endure before you forced them to endure it.

    I know you’re looking for hope, but you need a reality check. You need to look good and hard at the life you’ve sentenced you child to.

  19. He’s gonna be in office for four years, don’t revolve your life around politics and policies you can’t control.

  20. My meditation teacher said it best: “The world’s always been a shitty place, pick any moment in time. The only thing we can change is ourselves.” Sounds like you’re a good mom that’ll help guide your children through the turmoils of life no matter what they are. Enjoy your time with your new daughter. That’s all that matters right now. You’ll figure the rest out as it comes.

  21. Yeah, there’s hope. Find a copy of *The Language of Climate Politics* by Genevieve Guenther—an exceptionally well researched book that’s been endorsed by respected climate scientists and activists, such as Michael Mann and Bill McKibben. Then, take what you’ve learned and put it into action, trying to persuade people of the *urgent need to phaseout fossil fuels*. Every fraction of a degree of avoided global warming matters. 3 degrees is catastrophic, 2 degrees is manageable, and 1.5 degrees is where we’re at now—which is not too bad, considering. If we stop using fossil fuels asap, then I think we have a bright future in store for us.

  22. Why are people terrified but still choosing to have kids???

  23. When my children express their worries about the future, I always take the cynical, yet realist stance: Don’t worry, you were born and will live your life in the rich part of the world (Northern Europe), so you don’t need to worry. Things will be tough for people in the rest of the world, but we are rich and have strong communities, so we will find a way to finance dikes ans walls and whatever it takes. I mean, over the last 50 years people have willingly moved into the desert (Arizona and Arabian Gulf), so it’s not the heat in itself that’s the problem. Of course people in poor parts of the world will be in trouble, but they’ve been in troubles for the last 50 years without raising any eyebrows in the rich part of the world.
    A terrible cynical stance and argument, but I don’t see any global solidarity that will change the situation to a problem for all, rather than just poor countries.

  24. Climate change is science but not exact science. In 1993, Gore talked about no snow on Kilimanjaro by 2016. They got over 90 inches this year. The urgency of climate change narrative is useful in moving the needle but you can tune out the apocalypse warnings; it will be fine.

  25. I’ve been reading the same doomsday headline for 20 years. The climate is damaged and there’s no disputing that but the reality is that yours kids grandchildren will be safe but those grandchildren will never get to have grandchildren. What I’m getting at is that if we do nothing at all and keep on the current track we got 5-7 generations before we have annual devastation.

  26. There’s always hope.

    A massively different power source like fusion could completely change the energy landscape.

    New technologies for carbon capture and sequestration could change the universe of atmospheric CO2 concentrations we’re working with.

    New technology and policy could (still) radically shift consumption patterns as EVs and other electric technology is made more efficient.

    But most of the hope for best case outcomes of 10-15 years ago is gone barring technological advances.

    Things are looking rough right now, and some of the worst possible outcomes are on the table. But we can make things better for the kids if we try.

    So we try our best. And teach the little ones to try their best. And we make it work. Because change is life and life is change.

  27. Im a first time dad to a two month old. I’ve been worried about climate change for a long time, but once my son was born I decided I needed to be hopeful, for his sake. Trump being elected is definitely making it harder. But I have faith that there are much better people out there, working tirelessly to try and fix/ mitigate things. Also I watch this video every couple of months:

    https://youtu.be/LxgMdjyw8uw?si=yXmbtMWZTZveqqFE

  29. We all get what we deserve. Narrow sentimentality lacks the insight to see that we are all products of our untraceably distant past actions. Your daughter was born to experience what she needs to experience. She was born to you because that arrangement can facilitate her learning. Suffering is the rule here. You can’t protect her from it, but you can help her learn how to deal with it.

  30. Congratulations to you on your child’s arrival. I can only imagine the emotions you’re feeling right now, between the powerful changes your body just went through and is still experiencing and the massive setback of this election. Climate doomerism doesn’t benefit you, your child, OR the climate–it benefits the fossil fuel industry. Protect your peace and hers so that you have the strength to fight for her future. Feel free to DM me if you ever want to talk to a fellow mom who wrestles with the same stuff <3

  31. Chances are that if you are rich enough to own a computer and educated enough to use one, your daughter will be just fine. The impacts of climate change will mostly be felt in the third world during her life-time. On the other hand, she will likely get to live through another world war as climate refugees try to surge north.

  32. I mean, many people, mostly the least responsible for the current crises, will suffer and die. While we can do all in our power to fight that, it’s looking fairly unescapable. We are having to process grief for disasters that have not yet come to pass. Grief for that tiny, tiny window of times where a fraction of the human population got to live absolutely decadently on the back of everyone else (see the concept of energy slave >> https://jancovici.com/en/energy-transition/energy-and-us/how-much-of-a-slave-master-am-i/ or the How many Earths concept >> https://overshoot.footprintnetwork.org/how-many-earths-or-countries-do-we-need/ ).

    So the one hopeful thing I can say, is that in the global chaos and disruption that is fast oncoming, we will probably get the opportunity to actually transform our societies away from capitalism, insane inequality and growth, if not at global scale, at least in some places/regions. Because when the current system continues crashing headfirst into concrete wall after concrete wall, people finally *will* have to look for alternatives, because they won’t have a choice. The only at-scale example we have of what could happen then is Cuba when it was almost completely cut off from oil, lemme tell you farming’s gonna be back in fashion real fast.

    So, I think you could help build a happy life for your kid by participating in these kind of transition where you live now already! Reconnecting with your socio-ecological system, aka all the living beings around you 🙂

  33. I’m so torn because I am in the perfect place to have kids in about 3-4 years. I’m in my late 20s, healthy, married to an amazing husband, have family support to help with childcare, and our financial situation is very fortunate. I know we would be amazing parents. Children would bring so much joy to both our extended families. But I can’t get past thinking that my children might resent me for bringing them into the world during such a scary time. If I am not confident they will be able to lead a long healthy life, what’s the point? 🙁

  35. Your daughter is doomed to grow up in an autocracy devoid of water, kindness, and empathy.

    It’s why nobody I know is having kids anymore. None of my friends who did have kids *kids* are having children either. Moreso in their case. 

    I think they’re right 

  36. I understand the need for hope, but hope without realism is delusion. Any hope here lies in an extreme outlier probability: AI explodes onto the scene in a positive way and takes the reins. I don’t see any human-led solution. We take one step forward, one step back. We need to be skipping steps at this point.

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