[ShorsHammer]

Having one less child has far more of an impact than all of those lifestyle changes combined.

[toasterlovin]

Yeah, but then you are probably reducing the frequency of people who care about the environment in future populations, which may be a net loss.

[ShorsHammer]

Extrapolating that out environmentally concerned people should have as many children as possible and outbreed those not concerned about greenhouse emissions?

Such a statement seems to assume that the mind is an immutable object only created in childhood.

While it certainly causes cognitive dissonance for some, an SUV driving redneck carnivore with no children has created far less emissions than a public transport using vegan environmentalist with 2 kids.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa7541

[toasterlovin]

Mostly I’m just saying that, given that most aspects of personality are 30-80% heritable, I think people should really think twice before contributing to a future with less long-term thinkers in it.

[ShorsHammer]

Certainly do understand the motivation, it just seems like a race environmentalists can't win.

There are better ways to change minds.

[jtzhou]

And providing education for and/or adopting other children so that they learn how to live responsibly.