Blogger reveals she doesn’t want to have children because ‘there are too many people in the world’

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Blogger, 39, reveals she doesn’t want to have children because ‘there are too many people in the world destroying the planet’ – and admits it’s been a ‘deal-breaker’ in relationships

  • Emma Luther, who lives in the Cotswolds, believes the planet is overpopulated
  • Doesn’t wanted to start family because there are ‘too many people in the world’
  • Admits her views resulted in end of relationship with man she really loved in 20s 

By Hayley Richardson For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

A blogger has revealed she doesn’t want to have children because she believes there are ‘too many people in the world’ and it’s ‘destroying the planet’.

Emma Luther, 39, who was born near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire and now lives in the Cotswolds, admitted her reluctance to start a family has been a deal-breaker in relationships.

She added that the coronavirus pandemic has made her ‘feel more certain’ about her decision.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph’s Stella magazine, Emma explained that from a young age she has believed the world is overpopulated.

Emma Luther, 39, who was born near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire and now lives in the Cotswolds, says she doesn’t want to have children because she believes there are ‘too many people in the world’ and it’s ‘destroying the planet’

‘Even as a child I had a strong sense that the planet is overpopulated,’ she wrote, recalling how her aunt was ‘horrified’ when, at age 10, she told her she doesn’t want to have children because ‘there are too many people in the world’.   

Emma said her feeling of not wanting to add to the number of humans ‘destroying’ the planet has stuck, even when it signalled the end of a relationship with a man she ‘really loved’ in her early twenties. 

‘He wanted children and my reluctance was a deal-breaker that we couldn’t work around,’ she admitted.

Emma said her countryside upbringing is largely responsible for her close connection with and passion for nature – but the only time her choice to remain child-free has wavered was following the death of her mother in 2006.

Emma admitted the coronavirus pandemic has made her 'feel more certain' about her decision not to start a family

Emma admitted the coronavirus pandemic has made her ‘feel more certain’ about her decision not to start a family

Emma said her feeling of not wanting to add to the number of people 'destroying' the planet has stuck, even when it signalled the end of a relationship with a man she 'really loved' in her early twenties

Emma said her feeling of not wanting to add to the number of people ‘destroying’ the planet has stuck, even when it signalled the end of a relationship with a man she ‘really loved’ in her early twenties

She told how she suddenly longed to care for a child like her mum had done for her, but a grief counsellor suggested it was an attempt to ‘replace loss with love’, and her desire for a baby vanished. 

Emma, whose current partner Matthew shares her views, says the majority of her friends have children but she doesn’t judge them and they too respect her opinion. 

While she appreciates her decision to not have children won’t save the world, Emma said it’s still important to her to make a ‘positive difference’.

Emma, whose current partner Matthew shares her views, says the majority of her friends have children but she doesn't judge them and they too respect her opinion

Emma, whose current partner Matthew shares her views, says the majority of her friends have children but she doesn’t judge them and they too respect her opinion

She added that, along with not adding to the population, she is making an active effort to recycle, consume less, support local businesses and buy organic produce.   

‘I hear my friends talk about how much they’re spending on their families, the waste they’re creating (namely a mountain of nappies), and how tired they are now they have children,’ she wrote.

‘Some may say I’m selfish, but I want my life to be my own and I’d rather spend my energy doing what I can to help the planet.’ 

The world’s population is growing by 1.05% every year…

The world population was estimated to have hit 7,800,000,000 people as of March 2020, and is growing at a rate of around 1.05 per cent per year. During the 20th century alone, the population in the world has grown from 1.65 billion to 6 billion.

Annual growth rate reached its peak in the late 1960s, when it was at around 2 per cent. The rate of increase has almost halved since then, and is expected to continue to decline in the coming years, meaning the world population will continue to grow in the 21st century but at a slower rate than the recent past. 

China has the largest world population, followed by India and the US. According to the Office for National Statistics, in mid-2018 the population of the UK reached an estimated 66.4 million. 

The UK population’s growth rate in mid-2017 and mid-2018, at 0.6 per cent, was slower than any year since mid-2004. Long-term international migration to and from the UK has remained broadly stable since the end of 2016 and has also continued to be the main driver of the UK’s population growth.

In 50 years’ time, there is projected to be an additional 8.2 million people aged 65 years and over in the UK – a population roughly the size of present-day London.