Population growth

• Her paper serves as a call to go beyond renaming and to focus national efforts on population policies in light of pressing environmental realities.
• She further argues that technology, while providing solutions in some areas, cannot replace the finite nature of essential resources like water.
• NPG's latest paper echoes the urgency of addressing the core matters of overpopulation and resource depletion.
• She encourages a shift of energies toward protecting our environment: "We cannot for a moment allow ourselves to think that any name changes will help birds survive our obsession with growth."

• Natural habitats are being decimated, the world is growing hotter, and scientists fear we are experiencing the sixth mass extinction event in Earth’s history.
• Under such circumstances, is it reasonable to bring a child into the world?
• Recently, my work has explored questions where these two fields intersect, such as how climate change should affect decision-making about having a family.

A lifelong footprint

• Many people who care about the environment believe they are obligated to try to reduce their impact: driving fuel-efficient vehicles, recycling and purchasing food locally, for example.
• So, if you think you are obligated to do other activities to reduce your impact on the environment, you should limit your family size, too.
• In response, however, some people may argue that adding a single person to a planet of 8 billion cannot make a meaningful difference.

Crunching the numbers

• For example, statistician Paul Murtaugh and scientist Michael Schlax attempted to estimate the “carbon legacy” tied to a couple’s choice to procreate.
• They estimated the total lifetime emissions of individuals living in the world’s most populous 11 countries.

• Driving a more fuel-efficient car, on the other hand – getting 10 more miles to the gallon – would save only 148 metric tons of CO2-equivalent.
• He found that the average American contributes roughly one two-billionth of the total greenhouse gases that cause climate change.

Collective toll

• One common thought in ethics is that people should avoid participating in enterprises that involve collective wrongdoing.
• Suppose someone considers making a small donation to an organization that they learn is engaged in immoral activities, such as polluting a local river.
• We could reason the same way about procreation: Overpopulation is a collective problem that is degrading the environment and causing harm, so individuals should reduce their contribution to it when they can.

Moral gray zone

But perhaps having children warrants an exception. Parenthood is often a crucial part of people’s life plans and makes their lives far more meaningful, even if it does come at a cost to the planet. Some people believe reproductive freedom is so important that no one should feel moral pressure to restrict the size of their family.

• Is there a way to balance the varied and competing moral considerations in play here?
• I believe this allows a couple an appropriate amount of reproductive freedom while also recognizing the moral significance of the environmental problems linked to population growth.
• It is also possible, as ethicist Kalle Grill has argued, that none of these positions gets the moral calculus exactly right.
• Regardless, it is clear that prospective parents should reflect on the moral dimensions of procreation and its importance to their life plans.

Trevor Hedberg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• Based on product type, the Recycling Water Filtration Market has been segmented into sand filters, multimedia filters, activated carbon filters, and membrane filters.
• This report segments the Recycling Water Filtration Market based on membrane type into ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, microfiltration and reverse osmosis.
• Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest Recycling Water Filtration Market during the forecast period.
• The Recycling Water Filtration Market is flourishing in the Asia Pacific due to the pressing need for sustainable water management.

• The idea of getting a mortgage with just their own income is often unthinkable, and those who do own property often have an uncommonly early inheritance to thank.
• While housing crises rage across Europe, many members of Generation Z – those born after the year 2000 – may soon find that the shoe is on the other foot.
• Generation Z therefore stands to benefit from Europe’s declining birth rate, one of the lowest in the world at 1.53 children per woman.

Mortgages: an increasingly unattractive prospect

• If you meet these criteria, you are then locked into, on average, a 25-year commitment.
• The prospect of getting one is especially unappealing at a time when rising mortgage rates are driving the cost of living up in Europe and beyond.

Home ownership in Europe today

• The average mortgage duration is 25 years, meaning payments are typically completed by the age of 59, just before retirement age (65 in most EU member states).
• This does vary widely across the continent, and there is little correlation between ownership rates and the number of active mortgages.
• In contrast, this percentage is far lower in countries like Italy, where only 14.6% of homeowners have a mortgage.

Spain: a case in point

• It is above average in life expectancy and rates of home ownership (especially among older generations): the average Spaniard first purchases property at age 41, and receives an inheritance at 51.
• From 2021 to 2022 the number of homes inherited in Spain rose by 3.7%, with over 17,800 homes inherited per month within its borders.

Leaving the family home

• However, the value of inheritances varies widely across different countries and wealth distributions, and it is difficult to make predictions for all of Europe.
• There is also huge variation in factors such as the age of leaving the family home.
• In Finland, on the other hand, people typically leave home at age 21.4, with similarly low figures across Scandinavia.
• Spain’s staggering drop of 62.54% in new mortgages from 2007 to 2023 is reflected in data from across Europe.

Impacts on Generation Z

• Though they will face plenty of other problems, such as securing stable employment contracts, housing might not be the primary concern for much of Generation Z in the future.
• This will benefit Millennials to a certain extent, but with fewer siblings, many wealthier members of Generation Z might not need to divide inheritances from parents who often own multiple properties.

Geoffrey Ditta no recibe salario, ni ejerce labores de consultoría, ni posee acciones, ni recibe financiación de ninguna compañía u organización que pueda obtener beneficio de este artículo, y ha declarado carecer de vínculos relevantes más allá del cargo académico citado.