It would be very interesting to see the numbers of CO2 reduction if people would have only one child instead of many. Overpopulation seems to be the biggest problem at all.
There is a Catch-22 in choosing to breed less, in order to be responsible. You are choosing to limit your genes, and in many respects limit your impact on our culture. Irresponsibility continues to breed, while responsibility doesn't. I absolutely agree that our CO2 emissions would be much lower with fewer people, but choosing yourself to have fewer children is not the answer. A lot of the world is choosing to have children at an older age, and this almost always means less children. A better strategy is to try to get more people from all cultures to share this trait (not forcefully, of course).
There’s an “easy” solution to this quandary, IMO: you can adopt.
You’re not directly contributing to the increase in carbon associated with having a child because that child would exist regardless of your actions, and you have the opportunity to pass on your cultural values and sense of responsibility.
Best of both worlds, plus you’re providing a home and family to someone who might otherwise not have one.
