How Childfree Millennials Can Save the Planet

Most of us know that our planet is in trouble. But with so much wrong in the world, where do we start? Good news, my eco-conscious friends. We can save the planet, empower women, and improve global quality of life all at once. Childfree Millennials have their work cut out for them.

The Eco-Conscious Millennial Mindset

As an 80s/90s kid, I grew up watching Captain Planet and the Planeteers. The admittedly cheesy TV series was blatant pro-environmental propaganda designed to mold the minds of the new generation. This, along with other media such as the film Fern Gully: The Last Rain Forest, fulfilled their purpose. They convinced my young peers and I that we had a personal responsibility to protect the planet and its future. Not only that; we also had the ability to do so.

Now, bear in mind, the message of environmental destruction was simplified for a younger audience, and so were the proposed solutions. As we grew older we learned that issues (such as deforestation and the overuse of unsustainable resources) aren’t as cut-and-dry as the Planeteers and their caricature villains would have us believe. But, overall, we weren’t disillusioned. Millennials are ready to put their politics where their mouths are, (though, granted, less likely to take smaller personal actions like recycling).

And many are starting to recognize that we’re on the precipice of genuine global transformation. Or at least, we could be.

How over-population affects our planet

I can’t say for sure whether the simplistic “save the rainforest” campaigns that permeated public schools during the 1990s had a long-term effect on how Millennials make major life decisions. Many factors, including significant economic limitations, go into the trends (such as a drop in birth rate) that we’re seeing as this generation moves into mid-adulthood. And yet, in spite of the fact that—with a global population of 7.5 billion—the planet has reached (and likely surpassed) its carrying capacity, this slight decline in birthrate is often decried as a negative.

That’s right. Although “having children is one of the most destructive things you can do to the environment,” we’re told that it’s through selfishness and laziness that childfree Millennials aren’t having kids. And if we take the destruction of our only habitat seriously, that’s an attitude we need to change.

Why we don’t like talking about population control

So why isn’t this a more serious discussion? Well, setting aside the fact that we kind of just enjoy blaming Millennials for pre-existing problems, population control is a very sensitive topic. I can’t remember ever hearing it discussed in pro-environmental TV, movies, or in school. And that’s probably because when advocates start talking about bringing birth control to the world (particularly to so-called third world countries and to minorities in the United States) alarms sound. Watchdogs will sometimes refer to these efforts with phrases like “mass sterilization” or “forced sterilization.” But in a world that’s past its carrying capacity, mass distribution of contraceptives and access to sterilization procedures sounds like a good way to save the planet. So why the concern?

“Population control” and “eugenics” are kissing cousins

The implication with terms like those above is that irreversible sterilization is being forced on people, typically along racial and class lines. And let me be clear: this is not just fear-mongering. This has absolutely happened in the past. The United States has a particularly dark history with compulsory sterilization, which you can learn about here: Our Bodies, Ourselves.

Knowing how many women have been sterilized either without their consent or completely against their will, and the frightening circumstances in which it happened (and, in certain instances, still does happen), it’s easy to see why this is such a hair-trigger topic. We’ve seen how outrageous human rights abuses can happen with the blessing of those in power. So it’s no surprise that watchdog organizations keep a close eye on anything that resembles these practices.

Why we need to talk about population control

While I don’t in any way deny the importance of keeping an active radar on the issue of compulsory sterilization, mis-identifying free access to contraceptives as forced sterilization must stop. Far too often when the option to utilize contraceptives is offered, well-meaning detractors claim that this is class- or raced-based eugenics. In fairness, these are murky waters, as women of lesser financial means are both less likely to have easy access to contraceptives as well as less likely to be able to support a large family. But it is no more ethical to deny access based on socioeconomic status than it is to enforce it.

If you’re wondering how women’s reproductive choices are going to circle back to population control without forced sterilization or government incentivized one-child policies, rest easy. We don’t need to plunge into a dystopian future, where having children is illegal without a special permit, or where people in certain castes are sterilized at birth. There is an entirely ethical solution.

The fact is women in general respond favorably to being able to decide whether and when they’ll have children. Our job isn’t to make that choice for anyone: our job is to provide access and accurate information so women can make an informed choice for themselves.

II. How Can Childfree Millennials Save the Planet?

This ethical solution involves two straight-forward steps:

1) The first is to make safe, reliable contraceptives available everywhere.

2) The second is to educate women.

We’ve seen time and time again that when either of these things happen, birth rates drop – no coercion required. Let’s look at each of these steps.

Contraceptives

In 2016, the U.S. finally embarked on something of a social/medical experiment. The state of Oregon began making prescription oral contraceptives available over-the-counter (meaning a pharmacist may now write the prescription). This meant that women could obtain a prescription for The Pill without seeing a doctor. Additionally, for women who had health insurance, the cost for a 12-month supply was covered by all insurers.

Predictably, this lead to a significant increase in prescriptions. And although there is no direct evidence of causality, the abortion rate is currently at its lowest point in decades. This, combined with the decline in birth rate, further re-enforces the idea that women are fully capable of making their own health and family planning decisions, and will do so when given the means.

Educating Women

What does the education level of women have to do with this? Jane Goodall said it most succinctly: “As women’s education increases all around the planet, we find family size begins to drop.” She’s right. Across countries and cultures, when women are educated, they elect –overall – to have smaller families. Again, without coercion.

Elina Pradhan of the World Bank writes, “In a nutshell, data show that the higher the level of a woman’s educational attainment, the fewer children she is likely to bear. Given that fewer children per woman and delayed marriage and childbearing could mean more resources per child and better health and survival rates for mothers and children, this is an important link.” Furthermore, The United Nations University shows an inverse correlation between education level of women and number of maternal deaths.

How this saves the planet

It’s clear that when women are given the choice to decide if and how many children they’ll have, they tend overwhelmingly toward smaller families. We don’t need to put limits on family size, we don’t need to offer incentives (or ultimatums) to women to strong arm them into having smaller families. Alexandra Paul explains this clearly in her Ted Talk:

And it gets even better. Providing women with education and accessible contraceptives doesn’t just lowers birth rates on an over-populated planet. It’s also a safe and effective way to dramatically decrease abortion rates without depriving women of bodily autonomy. It’s a win-win-win.

III. Where We Need to Go from Here

A slight decrease in birth rate from the Millennial generation is an encouraging start, but it’s definitely not time to rest on our laurels. Women and girls throughout the world (including in the United States) still lack access to reliable contraceptives and basic reproductive education. The decisions of whether to have children, when to have children, and how many children to have are still unavailable to most women.

What can you do to help?

My fellow childfree Millennials, it’s not enough to say we support something. We’ve got to actually support it. If you want to help make education and family planning accessible to women across the world, here’s how:

Visit The Malala Fund. Find dozens of resources and ways to help girls get education.
Donate to Planned Parenthood. This organization provides women’s health care services, STD testing, and of course, low-cost contraceptives.
Vote. When you cast your ballot, vote for political leaders who support women’s health and education, and against those who oppose it.
Spread the word. Tell your friends on how we can give women equal education, reproductive choice, and subsequently save the planet.

When more people know how to help, more people will help.

A vision for a sustainable, egalitarian future

Dawn Gifford of Small Footprint Family writes

“What is clear is that as a culture becomes wealthier and healthier, and men and women alike are increasingly and equally able to meet all their basic needs, they become free to pursue dreams, desires and passions—to the great betterment of society. And in doing so, they often freely choose to delay childbearing, have fewer children, or not have children at all.

“No coercion, no quotas. No forced sterilization or abortion nightmares like are thought to happen in China. Just plenty of positive, life-affirming and practical incentives to have few children, or none.

“The more people are educated and helped to prosper—especially women (who have the babies after all)—the happier and more fulfilled we can all become and the less we strain the carrying capacity of our precious planet. This is the force of progress.”

If you want to truly help improve out planet, do whatever you can to make safe, reliable contraception readily available to everyone, and to help educate women and girls throughout the world. This is how we sustain our planet and improve the human experience for everyone.

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