Mother Jones: Attack of the Planet-Pummeling Baby

[marmar]

What's Your Baby's Carbon Footprint?
EXHIBIT: 8lbs, 21 inches, and 3,800 diapers worth of planet-pummeling joy

By Kiera Butler and Dave Gilson

April 28, 2008



72% of American adults have children.

60% of American children say they're more afraid of global warming than of terrorism, car crashes, or cancer.

Between 2000 and 2050, the U.S. will add 114 million kids to its population. Africa will add 1.2 billion—but their respective CO2 emissions will be the same.

One American child generates as much CO2 as 106 Haitian kids.

Zahara Jolie-Pitt will produce 45,000 lbs of CO2 yearly, compared with 221 lbs if she still lived in Ethiopia.

A typical baby goes through 3,800 disposable diapers in her first 2.5 years.

96% of American babies wear disposable diapers. In China, only 6% do. In India, 2%.

China claims its one-child policy has prevented 400 million births—saving 1.5 billion tons of CO2 in 2004 alone.

For $20, British parents can have 7 trees planted to offset the 1,430 lbs of greenhouse gases generated by their child's first 2.5 years of nappies.

Civil conflict is twice as likely to occur in countries where young adults make up more than 40% of the population.

In 2007, a Hungarian couple had 300 trees planted to offset their newborn's lifetime carbon footprint.

Twin births in the U.S. have risen 70% since 1980. In 2004, 3.2% of newborns were twins.

Uganda (50% children) has been at war for most of the last 30 years. Monaco (13%) has not been at war since 1815.

Citizens of the Russian city of Ulyanovsk get September 12 off to "conceive a patriot."

Due to its low birthrate, Singapore runs a dating program called LoveByte that promotes "the importance of marriage and family, and the need to start early."

Members of the "Quiverfull" movement believe that very large families populate "God's army."

In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI called for tax incentives for large families. Last fall, he vowed to "recreate a strong alliance between man and Earth."

In March, a Vatican bishop announced seven new mortal sins, including causing pollution and being obscenely wealthy. According to news reports, the bishop said the new evils were linked to "the unstoppable process of globalization." ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.motherjones.com/news/exhibit/2008/05/kids-carbon-footprints.html

[Double T]

1. Meanwhile little is done by the masses to curb the population explosion..........

which will lead to a mass extinction of life on earth. Make love, NOT people.

[stuntcat]

2. "Quiverfull"

Those people are a clear sign of the End :scared:

I'm sharing the site with my population group.. another crowd who doesn't seem too interested in World Population Day. I'm feeling like a creep for bringing it up anywhere.

[Nihil]

3. That's a fascinating collection of stats ... (k&r, n/t)

:wow: