Podcast Summary: Short Wave – “Climate Anxiety Is Altering Family Planning”

Date: December 30, 2025
Host: Emily Kwong
Producers/Co-hosts: Hannah Chin
Guests: Alessandra Rahm, Dr. Kimberly Nicholas, Dr. Jade Sasser, Elizabeth Bayard

Episode Overview

This episode of NPR’s Short Wave explores how anxiety about climate change is affecting decisions around family planning, particularly among younger generations. Through personal stories and expert interviews, the hosts examine the science, history, and psychology surrounding climate-related reproductive anxiety and highlight collective and individual actions that can empower listeners facing these concerns.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Personal Perspective: Climate Journalism Meets Parenthood

• Alessandra Rahm, former Al Jazeera journalist, shares how her encounters with climate crises (from wildfires in California to floods in Puerto Rico) have become more personal over time.
  • Notable quote:

    “I used to travel around the world with Al Jazeera as a documentary producer ... so many stories are climate stories.” (00:40–00:51)

  • After recently having a child, Alessandra describes a heightened sense of living “moment by moment” as a new parent, underscored by existential worries about the future her daughter will face (01:34–01:43).

2. The Rise of Climate Anxiety in Family Planning

• Host Emily Kwong and producer Hannah Chin introduce the “kids question” – how climate change shapes decisions to have and raise children (02:30–02:44).
• Citing Pew research, Hannah notes that over a quarter of people under 50 who do not plan to have children cite climate change as a major reason (04:50–05:00).
  • Notable quote:

    “The majority of Gen Zers report that they’re worried or anxious about climate change, period.” – Hannah Chin (04:50)

3. The Science: What’s the True Impact of Having Kids?

• Origin of widespread beliefs linking family size and climate: a 2017 paper titled The Climate Mitigation Gap (05:11).
  • High-impact actions: going car-free, flying less, eating plant-based diet, and “have one less child.”
• Dr. Kimberly Nicholas (Lund University):

  “One roundtrip flight emits 1.6 tons and that’s equivalent to two years of eating meat ... You’d have to be a vegetarian for 25 years to equal out the flying of one year.” (05:55–06:14)

  • The calculation that “having a child” results in 58.6 metric tons of CO2/year in industrialized countries has garnered public debate (06:37).

4. Debunking the “Population Problem”

• Dr. Jade Sasser (UC Riverside) highlights how anxiety over population growth dates back to Thomas Malthus in the 1800s, whose arguments had classist, dismissive connotations (07:30–08:00).
  • Notable quote:

    “The consensus among environmentalists for a long time has been that population growth is bad for the environment ... and it has been proven wrong by scientists over and over again.” – Jade Sasser (07:07)

• The science is clear: energy use, not population per se, is the main driver of global climate change (08:26–08:38).

  "Science tells us the issue is how we live, not that we live." – Emily Kwong (08:38)

5. Reproductive Autonomy and Climate Emotions

• Kimberly Nicholas reframes her advice: having a child should not be “traded off” against other climate actions (08:42).
• Climate anxiety is a real, growing field of research—defined as “psychological distress individuals experience due to climate change” (09:41).
  • Jade Sasser:

    “It’s ... quite normal to feel deeply anxious about these changes in our environment.” (09:25)

6. What’s Actually Lowering Birth Rates?

• Birth rates are down in the US; researchers warn not to “blame” climate anxiety alone. Economic insecurity, job/housing concerns, and weak safety nets are also key factors (10:27–10:45).

7. Expert Guidance for Anxious Would-be Parents

• Kimberly Nicholas’ message:

  “If you feel like your time on Earth is going to be missing something essential and have a big hole in your heart if you don’t have a child, then I think you should absolutely go for it. ... That gives you more energy and incentive to fight for ... a better future.” (10:52–11:21)

• She points out that those earning above $42,000/year are in the global top 10% and thus have outsized agency and responsibility (11:21–11:40).

8. Collective Action over Individual Guilt

• Nicholas’s High Impact Climate Action Guide encourages collective actions – e.g., lobbying institutions and shifting bank investments (12:01–12:19).
• Jade Sasser:

  “When we take these on as personal problems ... that we suffer with in silence, it actually lets ... our leaders off the hook, and they should be on the hook.” (12:19–12:42)

9. What Hope Looks Like in Parenthood

• Elizabeth Bayard (Mom’s Clean Air Force): After Hurricane Florence and dire IPCC warnings, she became an activist, reminding parents:

  “You need community. We all need community. None of us were meant to carry this alone.” (13:34)

• Being open about fears allows children to witness collective action and hope:

  “They see her pain and they see her taking action on it ... there are a lot of adults—including their mom—who are not giving up and fighting every day for their future.” (14:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the origins of climate-family anxiety:
  “Who or what told us that having kids was a major contributor to climate change?” – Hannah Chin (04:54)
• Reflections on the complexity of action:
  “The math doesn’t pencil out. If you say, okay, well, I’m someone who doesn’t want to have a child, that means I get 50 flights a year.” – Kimberly Nicholas (08:42)
• On the power of hope and action:
  “Caring for a child can also be a hopeful thing to do. It can connect us to each other. It can help us act. Because the future isn’t set in stone.” – Hannah Chin (14:23)
• On community as a starting point:
  “If all you can do is sign onto the email list of a parent climate group, that is a place to start.” – Elizabeth Bayard (13:34)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Personal Story & Introduction: 00:40–02:16
• The “Kids Question”: 02:30–05:00
• The 2017 Study & Its Impact: 05:11–06:55
• Population & Environmental Narratives: 07:07–08:00
• Climate Anxiety & Mental Health: 09:25–10:01
• Birth Rate Trends & Drivers: 10:27–10:45
• Guidance from Experts: 10:52–11:21
• Collective Action Focus: 12:01–12:42
• Activism, Hope, and Community: 12:47–14:23

Takeaways

• Decisions about whether (and how) to raise children in a warming world are complex and deeply personal, but should be informed by science, history, and collective action—not guilt or outdated narratives of population control.
• Climate anxiety is a real and valid psychological response, and community is essential for both coping and change.
• Individuals have agency, especially in wealthier countries, but real progress requires systemic action and holding leaders accountable.
• Hope can be found in action, solidarity, and open communication with the next generation.

Relevant Resources:

• The Climate Mitigation Gap (Environmental Research Letters, 2017)
• High Impact Climate Action Guide (Kimberly Nicholas et al.)
• Books: Climate Anxiety and the Kid Question (Jade Sasser), Parenting in a Changing Climate (Elizabeth Bayard)

End of Content Summary
(Intro, Outro, and Sponsor segments omitted as requested.)