Kudos to Fair Start Movement coalition member, Population Matters for bringing attention to the topic of sustainable families. The group awarded $695 to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to be gifted to the charity of their choice, for making the decision to limit their family to two kids. The award, which is garnering headlines and serving to break the taboo, was timed to coincide with the U.N.’s World Population Day.
Prince Harry revealed the couple’s plans to limit their family size due to environmental concerns back in 2019. Earlier that year we wrote to Megan as well, urging the couple to serve as role models and incorporate sustainability into family planning. It took courage for them to make that statement and it likely would not have happened without the great teamwork and encouragement from Population Matters and Jane Goodall.
Despite the endless supply of alarmist stories about declining birthrates, cultural perspectives are beginning to shift and recognize the numerous social and emotional benefits of choosing to have only one or two kids. Choosing a smaller family is also the most effective way to reduce climate impact.
The environmental impact of smaller families:
- 20 TIMES: Having a smaller family is 20 times more effective at reducing climate impact than changing diet or forms of transportation. Learn more about climate impact and family size.
- BILLIONS: By 2100 world population could vary by billions of people, depending on whether the average woman in the world today has one child more or one child fewer in her lifetime.
- 1 MILLION SPECIES face extinction thanks to population growth-driven human activity, the U.N. reports.
- Child-first family planning provides a clear human rights-based solution and path forward. It’s sustainable and equitable, and reflected in the worldwide trend towards smaller families that can invest more in each child and ensure a safer future.
It’s time for more environmental organizations to inspire eco-conscious parents to choose to have smaller families to reduce human impact on animals and the planet.
Take Action: Share this headline with your favorite animal and environmental organizations, and urge them to follow suit in promoting more sustainable families.
Tweet:
• Carter Roberts, @Carter_Roberts, president and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund
• Annie Leonard, @AnnieMLeonard, executive director of Greenpeace USA
• Michael Brune, @bruneski, executive director of the Sierra Club
and ask them to take a stand on the most effective way to protect our future: policies that promote sustainable and equitable family planning.
