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How much does having a baby contribute to climate change?

We speak to people who’ve made the decision not to have babies for the planet.

There are a growing number of people speaking out about their decision not to have children because of climate change. They worry about the environmental impact of bringing a new person into the world. But how polluting is it to have kids? And is staying childfree a good way to limit how much carbon dioxide we put into the atmosphere?

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ’s Georgina Rannard talks us through some research from University College London. And researcher Johannes Ackva, from the Founder’s Pledge, brings us a study he co-wrote looking at how different lifestyle choices - including flying, driving a car and having children - impact the climate. He thinks that, as governments’ net-zero pledges really start to ramp up, emissions per person will likely go down - and this could impact how polluting it is to have babies in the future.

Plus, we hear from three people who’ve decided not to have kids: Nirupama Kondayya, and husband Vipin Nair from India now living in the UK, and a woman from the US.

Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Maria Clara Montoya and Mora Morrison
Editors: Emily Horler and Simon Peeks

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15 minutes

Last on

Tue 23 Jan 2024 03:50GMT

Broadcasts

  • Mon 22 Jan 2024 18:50GMT
  • Tue 23 Jan 2024 03:50GMT

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