Choosing to have few or no children is the opposite of selfish

It’s not just population, of course. There is an urgent need across multiple fronts, not least addressing grotesque inequalities in consumption and the disproportionate contribution to environmental destruction among those of us who are wealthy by global standards — inequalities Pope Francis has done much to highlight.

The hundreds of millions of people living in poverty worldwide deserve far more land, food, water, energy and infrastructure than they currently have. And the more people there are squeezing nature and generating emissions, the harder it is to dig ourselves out of this hole.

Meanwhile, the Pope calls for more children. The pontiff has been part of a baby bust panic — touted by Elon Musk, among others — decrying a “demographic winter,” in reference to falling birth rates. Let’s put this in perspective. Half the world’s population is under 30. Ageing societies are a challenge, but effective, affordable policy solutions already exist. What doesn’t exist are solutions to melted glaciers or extinct species. The fundamental prerequisite of a decent future for young and old is a healthy planet.