What’s the best thing humans can do to save the planet right now?

We’re suggesting people think before they procreate. If they think it all the way through and get past the natalist cultural conditioning, they probably won’t do it. There really isn’t any reason to [procreate] other than the social pressures from family and society – sometimes people don’t even realise they have an alternative choice.

In fact, hundreds of millions of people don’t have a choice, so that’s one of the first things that has to be done for everybody on the planet: to [have the choice] to not procreate if they don’t want to. It would eliminate 80 million unwanted pregnancies a year and would be the greatest social improvement.



Is your movement also about women’s rights?

Improving the status of women is extremely important – the two go together. If women don’t have control over their procreative choice, they have very little power to run their own lives.

While natalist conditioning is rampant all over the planet, compared to around 30 years ago there are twice as many women aged between 40 and 44 who do not have offspring in the UK and USA. It is becoming far more acceptable and I think a large part of it is people are able to not procreate if they don’t want to. The amount of reproductive freedom has increased, although it is under attack, especially in the US but also in the UK.

How is it under attack?

As far as a women’s ability to get an abortion, it varies all over the USA, but it is still officially legal all over the country. State laws put a lot of obstacles in their way, though. Right now, an assault on all elements of reproductive freedom is happening, [including] the right to have contraception and abortion.

What are some of the strains procreation is having on the planet?

Studies have shown that as far as CO2 emissions are concerned, the very best thing we can do is to choose not to create another one of us.



The Global Footprint Network has figured out, globally, what the footprint for the entire world is. We are overshooting by over 50 per cent. They have designated [an annual] World Overshoot Day: the day that humanity has used up a year’s worth of renewable resources and begins to go into deficit usage. Last year it was 29th July and each year it gets a little bit sooner.

It varies by country, of course, but this is globally. So even if it’s a fact that we use a lot more [resources] and other countries use very little, when you average it all out, humans as a whole are into overshoot. We’re counting calories while our insects go extinct. [Previously] all we were worried about was emissions, but biodiversity loss from our activities threatens our existence more than the climate crisis.

How would the planet look if we lived long and died out?

Our domesticated species, our cattle and livestock, would be phased out with us. Fields of wheat would revert to meadows and eventually forest land and biodiversity would increase just amazingly – unless we cause everything to go extinct before then. Ecosystems and the whole biosphere will be better off without us. The best we can do is undo what we’re doing and try to keep it from happening even more.

