The Complexities Of Parenting In A World Marked By The Climate Emergency

Becoming a parent is an emotional journey, one that changes our perspective on almost everything. As Paul Bogard writes for the New York Times, the shocking reality of climate change and mass species extinction can crop up in something as simple as reading your child a bedtime story.

“Since the oldest of the books, “Babar,” was published in 1931, Africa’s elephant population had dwindled from 10 million to roughly 400,000. Since “Where the Wild Things Are” was published in 1963, the world had lost an estimated two-thirds of its wildlife. Will we have fewer snowy days going forward, and fewer ducklings to make way for? Over the past five decades, North American skies have lost nearly three billion birds.” he writes.

Bogard laments the extraordinary losses in the natural world that have happened in his lifetime and worries about bringing his child into an environment that seems to be in rapid decline. 

“Was it fair to tell her stories of healthy ecosystems and the steady seasons to which we’ve become accustomed?” he asks.

The question is one that resonates with many of us. The climate emergency has created an uncertain future for wildlife, ecosystems, and even our children. This existential crisis can weigh heavily on both our decision to have children and how we choose to raise them. 

Bogard speaks about his decision to have a child despite these concerns. He reflects on the fact that, while he knew he would love his baby, he was overwhelmed by the magnitude of his feeling. His sadness about species extinction grew even more intense when he realized the world that his daughter was living in was no longer the one portrayed in the books he was reading her.

When his daughter was 6 months old, he discovered a new picture book by Cynthia Rylant, called“Life” that made him rethink things.  The playful artwork and simple text of the book gave Bogard hope that his daughter could still find magic in the world that remains. 

To him, the book seemed to say, “Even with all the loss, so much remains. My feelings for the world had merged with those for my daughter. To love and protect one was to love and protect the other.”

Bogard’s daughter is an active toddler now. While the world she sees may not be the same as the one in her picture books, she still approaches it with wonder. Bogard hopes that, as she grows older, he can teach her to have the resiliency to move from fear and grief about the changing climate towards finding the courage and joy necessary to both live a full life and protect the natural world.