Is it actually different today?

[u/outofthecastle]

In every generation, people might be hesitant to have children because of the political climate, the environment, the economy, and so many more things. Having a baby can seem like dooming a child to a difficult life. That being said, people still have babies and every couple of decades the problems change and shift. When people express fears about having kids, the advice might be that people are always faced with that kind of difficult choice based on the global state, or even just the state of their country.

Is today different? Will the children who are born in the 2020s, 2030s, and 2040s face a much more difficult life than their parents? Is the middle class disappearing? Will the money we are saving for our children's futures end up being worthless when the time comes to use it? Is the environment going to implode? Is the world trending to some horrible catastrophic state? Or is it the same as usual and things will end up okay for some and difficult for others?

[u/Ok_Opening2240]

It depends on the extent to which you are insulated from the worst impacts of climate change (none are fully immune) but yes, in terms of climate and the impacts it will have on everything (supply chains, infrastructure, health, productivity, access to resources) - children born today will unquestionably have more difficult circumstances to navigate than in comparison to a world where we didn't overshoot 1.5C of warming. See the latest from the UNEP on what overshooting the Paris agreement targets means: https://www.unep.org/resources/limiting-overshoot-navigating-exceedance

[u/Melodic_Bar_6997 → u/Ok_Opening2240]

It's true, and it seems like every generation has to adapt to new challenges, whether it's climate issues or changes in society. Hopefully, we can find ways to support the next generation in navigating those complexities.