To save the planet, would you pay a baby tax?
"Green baby" doesn't mean raising a little reptile, but you can do a lot to help the planet with your new bub. You couldn't tell from their adorable little faces, but your baby's environmental impact is much bigger than what you can fit into a cute little pair of booties!
Some experts have gone so far as to suggest a ‘baby levy' in the form of a carbon tax, in line with the idea of ‘polluters pay' principle. ‘Every newborn baby in Australia represents a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions for an average of 80 years,' says Dr Barry Walters, Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetric Medicine at the Royal Perth Hospital. In a letter published in the Medical Journal of Australia in December 2007, Walters called for a carbon tax that would fund the planting of enough trees to offset the carbon cost generated by a new human being, which he estimated to be around $5000 at birth (to purchase the land needed to plant the trees) and then $400-$800 annually for the life of the child to maintain the planted trees.
‘The fact is that humans contribute hugely to the carbon economy, mainly through their consumption of energy, but also through their own metabolism, producing CO2 with every breath,' he says. ‘Children and adults today live indoors, use air conditioning, electricity, mobile phones, computers, get cars of their own much earlier, consume more by having many possessions.' The result is a quite a sizable increase in the modern carbon footprint.
While Walters admits that his initial idea for a carbon tax on childbirth was ‘tongue in cheek', it was a genuine reaction to the ‘arrogance of the Australian government' in paying people to have more babies given the environmental impact of each child.
‘Having children is a basic human right - there is however a philosophic view that there is not a right to unlimited procreation - as resources are limited and the more children one family has, the less is available to others,' he says.
Meanwhile, some eco minded modern women have taken the matter to heart, and have voluntarily sterilised themselves citing environmental concerns. Toni Vernelli from the UK, terminated an accidental pregnancy and then opted to have herself sterilised reports the Daily Mail in the UK. ‘Having children is selfish. It's all about maintaining your genetic line at the expense of the planet,' she says.
You can find leading organic baby products for your baby in the Green Pages directory.
Some experts have gone so far as to suggest a ‘baby levy' in the form of a carbon tax, in line with the idea of ‘polluters pay' principle. ‘Every newborn baby in Australia represents a potent source of greenhouse gas emissions for an average of 80 years,' says Dr Barry Walters, Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetric Medicine at the Royal Perth Hospital. In a letter published in the Medical Journal of Australia in December 2007, Walters called for a carbon tax that would fund the planting of enough trees to offset the carbon cost generated by a new human being, which he estimated to be around $5000 at birth (to purchase the land needed to plant the trees) and then $400-$800 annually for the life of the child to maintain the planted trees.
‘The fact is that humans contribute hugely to the carbon economy, mainly through their consumption of energy, but also through their own metabolism, producing CO2 with every breath,' he says. ‘Children and adults today live indoors, use air conditioning, electricity, mobile phones, computers, get cars of their own much earlier, consume more by having many possessions.' The result is a quite a sizable increase in the modern carbon footprint.
While Walters admits that his initial idea for a carbon tax on childbirth was ‘tongue in cheek', it was a genuine reaction to the ‘arrogance of the Australian government' in paying people to have more babies given the environmental impact of each child.
‘Having children is a basic human right - there is however a philosophic view that there is not a right to unlimited procreation - as resources are limited and the more children one family has, the less is available to others,' he says.
Meanwhile, some eco minded modern women have taken the matter to heart, and have voluntarily sterilised themselves citing environmental concerns. Toni Vernelli from the UK, terminated an accidental pregnancy and then opted to have herself sterilised reports the Daily Mail in the UK. ‘Having children is selfish. It's all about maintaining your genetic line at the expense of the planet,' she says.
You can find leading organic baby products for your baby in the Green Pages directory.
