Emily Kwong

Because a couple weeks ago, she and her partner had a kid.

Alessandra has always wanted to be a parent.

But as a climate journalist, she worries about the future her daughter will have on a warming planet.

And we know a lot of you short-wavers carry this worry too.

So today's quest, kids.

Having and raising a kid can feel like such a fraught decision these days.

So what do experts have to say about it?

And for people who do have and care for kids, how do you raise them in a way that's good for them and for the planet?

You're listening to Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR.

So joining me in the studio for this Nature Quest is producer Hannah Chin, my fellow Nature Quest co-creator.

Hey, Emily.

I have read this paper, and the actions, the climate actions are pretty clear.

They're things like, go car-free.

Eat a plant-based diet and reduce flying as much as possible.

So if you are a high emitter, about half of your carbon footprint comes from transportation.

Yes.

And while this paper was focused on the individual decision of whether or not to have a child, I think that part of the public's reaction to this work is

This is Jade Sasser, an associate professor of gender and sexuality studies and society environment and health equity at UC Riverside.

And she traced this idea all the way back to the 1800s and a British economist named Thomas Robert Malthus, who was writing against British laws that offered food aid to the poor.

To be clear, this is not the argument that Kimberly and her colleague were making.