'It's ridiculous to reproduce on this overburdened planet': Meet the couples who are deciding NOT to have children because of global warming
- Climate change organisation surveyed thousands of Australian women
- More than third of those surveyed said they were reconsidering having children
- Couples were trying to balance wanting to start with family with climate concern
Couples are deciding not to start a family because they fear their children will face an unsafe future due to global warming.
Climate change organisation 1 Million Women and the Australian Conservation Foundation surveyed thousands of women to find out what their thoughts were on changes to the environment.
The survey of 6500 people found 33,4 per cent of women under 30 were apprehensive to have children as they were anxious about the future of the planet.
Rachael Schnurr, 32, said her and her husband Dan, 35, have discussed having children but 'lean further and further away from it every year'
Felicity Lochhead, 28, said she was concerned about the effects humans were causing in relation to climate change
Felicity Lochhead, 28, said she was concerned about the effects humans were causing in relation to climate change.
'I'm at the stage of my life when everyone is asking when we are going to have children,' she said.
Ms Lochhead and her husband Hayden, 30, live in Illawarra, south of Sydney.
The couple said they were trying to balance their desire to start a family with the impacts of global warming.
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'I am constantly learning about and focused on the damage we have done and continue to do. It is depressing,' she said.
'I am very, very apprehensive to have children, even though I feel like I could be a great mother... I don't know what to do.'
Rachael Schnurr, 32, said her and her husband Dan, 35, live in Michigan in the US, and have discussed having children but 'lean further and further away from it every year'.
Mrs Lochhead (pictured) and her husband Hayden, 30, live in Illawarra, south of Sydney
'Initially that was our plan, a big biological family, but things have evolved,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
Ms Schnurr said not wanting to contribute to overpopulation was one of the factors they have considered.
'Right now we figure we're good and if we ever really wanted kids, we would rather adopt because it would be better for the planet in multiple ways,' she said.
'Once we started to really think about how ridiculous it is to continue reproducing on this overburdened planet, it was hard to think about it any other way.'
1 Million Women was set up by Natalie Isaacs with the goal of bringing about a 'global movement of women' to 'empower them to act on climate change'.
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