The College Fix

UC Riverside scholar explores ‘climate anxiety,’ childbearing in new book

Fears about climate change are prompting feelings of “shame” and selfishness among “people of color” when they think about having children, a University of California at Riverside professor wrote in her new book.

Several young adults shared these fears with Jade Sasser, (pictured) a professor of gender and sexuality studies, in an excerpt published Wednesday at the Los Angeles Times. The book is “Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question” from the University of California Press.

“So … it almost feels, like, kind of shameful to want to have children,” a young Native American woman named Melanie said.

“I think I may not have children although I do want them,” she told Sasser. “Just because, with all of the things we see going on in the world, it seems unfair to bring someone into all of this against their will.”

Another young adult, Victoria, said she would love to have a big family like the one she grew up in, but her college education made her rethink that desire.

“I got a degree in sustainability, and I’ve always questioned bringing people into an environment [where] so much is going on politically, socially, health-wise …” she told Sasser.

Now, Victoria said she is considering becoming a foster parent instead, saying, “It’s a little selfish on my end to think I’m going to have all these kids when there are already kids in the world who would probably make me a better parent.”

In the book, Sasser wrote it makes sense “that groups of color are more concerned and alarmed about climate change,” because they are the ones most harmed by air pollution, food deserts, oil pipelines and refineries, and other environmental problems.

MORE: More students would give up having children than phones to help climate: poll

“Eco-anxiety” and childbearing have become “hot topics,” especially as birth rates continue to fall, Sasser wrote.

But, according to her book, too little attention is being paid to people of color – “those who are most deeply impacted – either through exclusion or through assuming that young, middle-class white people’s experiences are shared by all. They are not.”

Her book concludes “that climate emotions and climate justice are inseparable, and that culturally appropriate mental and emotional health services are a necessary component to ensure climate justice for vulnerable communities,” according to the description on Amazon.

Additionally, Sasser believes people of color “can and should continue to create the families we desire, but that doing so equitably will require deep commitments to social, reproductive, and climate justice,” the description states.

Other academics also have written about the recent shift in childbearing attitudes among young people.

In a book published earlier this year, University of Virginia sociology Professor Brad Wilcox made the case that young adults should be more eager to pursue marriage and family, because they are more fulfilling than education, money, or career, The College Fix reported.

MORE: Scholar’s ‘Abolish the Family’ speech hosted at UMass Boston

IMAGE: University of California Press, Jade Sasser

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