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Oct 13, 2021
acx

Highlights From The Comments On Kids And Climate Change

39 min • 5,384 words • 561 comments • 91 likes • podcast (37 min)
Scott responds to various reader comments on his article about having children despite climate change, addressing critiques and expanding on several points. Longer summary
This post highlights and responds to various comments on Scott's previous article about having children despite climate change concerns. It covers topics such as the sincerity of climate concerns, political implications, carbon emissions by location, the severity of climate change impacts, and arguments for and against having children in the current climate context. Scott engages with these comments, offering additional insights, corrections, and reflections on the original arguments. Shorter summary
Oct 11, 2021
acx

Please Don't Give Up On Having Kids Because Of Climate Change

27 min • 3,729 words • 1,281 comments • 207 likes • podcast (27 min)
Scott Alexander argues that concerns about climate change should not deter people from having children, presenting counterarguments to common climate-related reasons for avoiding parenthood. Longer summary
Scott Alexander argues against the idea that people should avoid having children due to climate change concerns. He presents three main counterarguments: 1) While climate change will be bad, it's unlikely to be catastrophic for most people in developed countries. 2) Choosing not to have children might actually harm climate action by reducing the number of future climate-conscious voters. 3) The carbon footprint of having a child is often overstated, and can potentially be offset through donations or other means. He concludes that climate concerns shouldn't prevent people who want children from having them. Shorter summary
Aug 25, 2021
acx

Carbon Costs Quantified

21 min • 2,884 words • 384 comments • 56 likes • podcast (38 min)
Scott Alexander presents a chart quantifying carbon emissions from various sources, discussing the implications and providing advice on addressing climate change responsibly. Longer summary
Scott Alexander presents a chart quantifying carbon emissions from various activities, lifestyle changes, and actors. He emphasizes the approximate nature of these numbers and explains the methodology behind the calculations. The post discusses the implications of these figures, including the relative impact of individual actions versus larger systemic changes. Scott also provides advice on how individuals can responsibly address climate change, such as staying informed, supporting climate-conscious politicians, and considering carbon offsets. The article concludes with an extensive list of sources for the data presented. Shorter summary