Automobiles

[KUTradition]

How long will an electric car last? What is done with the batteries when it's discarded? Isn't there a lot of toxic stuff in the batteries? What happens to that?

some 90-95% can be recycled

[zsn]

Actually trucks vs electric cars is only a fraction of the solution to climate change and resource utilization. Food production and consumption is another major chunk

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/best-and ... 71e803c025

[DrPepper]

If we are looking at effective solutions to reduce carbon footprints, one of the very best is to have fewer children. Children tend to grow up and consume things and have more children that grow up and consume things. If that means you can now use an electric scooter or bicycle for everyday transportation rather than a churchbus for your brood, bonus!

[TDub]

If we are looking at effective solutions to reduce carbon footprints, one of the very best is to have fewer children. Children tend to grow up and consume things and have more children that grow up and consume things. If that means you can now use an electric scooter or bicycle for everyday transportation rather than a churchbus for your brood, bonus!

20% decline in American birthrate since 2007.

Though I think thats a sign of frustrating economic uncertainty moreso than a conscious environmental choice.

[MICHHAWK]

children are the future.

[DrPepper]

It might also be because they see a lot of their parent's marriages kinda sucking. Or improved and better access to birth control. Or less sex. I'd imagine birthrates have been decreasing since about forever. Just off the cuff.

[MICHHAWK]

maybe the decline in the birthrate runs parallel with the increase in the non-trad lifestyle.

[DrPepper]

You will have to define non-traditional. In my kiddo's preschool class of 21-kids, my kiddo was the only one with a two-parent family.

Some immigrants/religions have a lot of kids still.

edit to add that my kiddo is in college now. It used to be that we would say that this makes my observation about preschool about a generation old. However, people are putting off the age of when they have a kid(s) too. So that has to be considered when looking at population and birth rate data.

[MICHHAWK]

my life would be pretty boring if not for the children.

[TDub]

It might also be because they see a lot of their parent's marriages kinda sucking. Or improved and better access to birth control. Or less sex. I'd imagine birthrates have been decreasing since about forever. Just off the cuff.

if your baseline is the baby boomers then yes. But not beyond that. Increased until 1990, decreased until 97, increased until 2007 then fell off a cliff.

[DrPepper]

Now that my child is off to college, my life has changed unbelievably! Perhaps that is because I am female. But I have so much more time now. I have added tons of new organizations, efforts, and activities to my life.

[KUTradition]

If we are looking at effective solutions to reduce carbon footprints, one of the very best is to have fewer children. Children tend to grow up and consume things and have more children that grow up and consume things. If that means you can now use an electric scooter or bicycle for everyday transportation rather than a churchbus for your brood, bonus!

20% decline in American birthrate since 2007.

Though I think thats a sign of frustrating economic uncertainty moreso than a conscious environmental choice.

i don’t necessarily disagree, but from my anecdotal experiences it seems like it’s a fairly equal proportion of each

i’d be really curious to actually see the data (more in-depth info than just media polls)

[DrPepper]

It might also be because they see a lot of their parent's marriages kinda sucking. Or improved and better access to birth control. Or less sex. I'd imagine birthrates have been decreasing since about forever. Just off the cuff.

if your baseline is the baby boomers then yes. But not beyond that. Increased until 1990, decreased until 97, increased until 2007 then fell off a cliff.

That sounds like it might align with a period of less Mexicans coming to the US (and more Mexicans leaving the US).

[TDub]

If we are looking at effective solutions to reduce carbon footprints, one of the very best is to have fewer children. Children tend to grow up and consume things and have more children that grow up and consume things. If that means you can now use an electric scooter or bicycle for everyday transportation rather than a churchbus for your brood, bonus!

20% decline in American birthrate since 2007.

Though I think thats a sign of frustrating economic uncertainty moreso than a conscious environmental choice.

i don’t necessarily disagree, but from my anecdotal experiences it seems like it’s a fairly equal proportion of each

i’d be really curious to actually see the data (more in-depth info than just media polls)

its possible.

I know several younger couples that have specifically not had kids, or are delaying kids because they both work full time and still can't afford a house, struggle with payments and couldn't afford to stay home with the kids or pay for daycare.

[TDub]

It might also be because they see a lot of their parent's marriages kinda sucking. Or improved and better access to birth control. Or less sex. I'd imagine birthrates have been decreasing since about forever. Just off the cuff.

if your baseline is the baby boomers then yes. But not beyond that. Increased until 1990, decreased until 97, increased until 2007 then fell off a cliff.

That sounds like it might align with a period of less Mexicans coming to the US (and more Mexicans leaving the US).

thats a rather large leap in logic. But, who knows.

[DrPepper]

TDub, I think it is in this data report here. https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/20 ... nd-mexico/

first two paragraphs. sorta an abstract

The number of Mexican-born immigrants who left the U.S. for Mexico rose sharply from 2005 to 2010, even as the flow of new immigrants to the U.S. from Mexico fell steeply, according to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis of data from both countries.

As a result, net Mexican immigration to the U.S. is at a standstill, and the Mexican-born population in the U.S. leveled off and then declined in the last half of the most recent decade. The Mexican-born population grew 23% from 2000 to 2005, peaked in 2007 at 12.6 million and stabilized for two years before declining slightly in 2010. In 2011, the Mexican-born population in the U.S. decreased still further, to 12.0 million.

[KUTradition]

20% decline in American birthrate since 2007.

Though I think thats a sign of frustrating economic uncertainty moreso than a conscious environmental choice.

i don’t necessarily disagree, but from my anecdotal experiences it seems like it’s a fairly equal proportion of each

i’d be really curious to actually see the data (more in-depth info than just media polls)

its possible.

I know several younger couples that have specifically not had kids, or are delaying kids because they both work full time and still can't afford a house, struggle with payments and couldn't afford to stay home with the kids or pay for daycare.

i know quite a few who are of the same train of thought that DP us now as an empty-nester. without kids, there is a whole other world to experience just because of the extra time and money

i’d imagine there are multiple factors at play in most situations

also, aside from exclusively environmental issues, i’m sure there are some that just aren’t comfortable bringing life into this current world

[zsn]

Interesting observation that in my workplace DINK seems to be more common than even one child. For reference, most (if not all) have at least a Masters degree in physical or biological sciences. Disclaimer: plural of anecdote is not data!!

[DrPepper]

It was about 1997 when I had friends marry without an engagement ring money (spent the money on their honeymoon instead saying that engagement rings are for the Jones/gullible) and he got a vasectomy (they did not ever want to have children). She was a PhD chemist. I don't recall what he did, but I am sure he had some degrees.

[ousdahl]

our generation has faced multiple once-in-a-generation economic crises, inflation, increased cost of living, a global pandemic, multiple/endless wars, and the destruction of our planet in real time - and we're not even halfway through our "careers" yet. Among other things, I think that may give pause to the idea of popping out kids for many.

With that said, almost all of my friends have kids nowadays. If they don't, they either have pets, or they're me and the beav.

One good buddy has two youngins, but just got a vasectomy. It sounds...awful? Like intense pain and discomfort in your most sensitive parts. But the tradeoff is, no more kids!