Emily Kwong

Hey everyone, Emily Kwong here and welcome back to Nature Quest, our monthly segment that brings you a question from a fellow short waver who's paying attention to the environment and how our choices shape the world.

The stories Alessandra covered at the time were unfolding in other countries, in Thailand and in Canada.

But over time, she watched these climate narratives get closer to where she's from, Puerto Rico, Flint, Michigan, and eventually to her home state of California.

And more recently, Alessandra has had other reasons to be thinking about the future.

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.