this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2024
112 points (76.7% liked)

Unpopular Opinion

6294 readers
12 users here now

Welcome to the Unpopular Opinion community!


How voting works:

Vote the opposite of the norm.


If you agree that the opinion is unpopular give it an arrow up. If it's something that's widely accepted, give it an arrow down.



Guidelines:

Tag your post, if possible (not required)


  • If your post is a "General" unpopular opinion, start the subject with [GENERAL].
  • If it is a Lemmy-specific unpopular opinion, start it with [LEMMY].


Rules:

1. NO POLITICS


Politics is everywhere. Let's make this about [general] and [lemmy] - specific topics, and keep politics out of it.


2. Be civil.


Disagreements happen, but that doesn’t provide the right to personally attack others. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Please also refrain from gatekeeping others' opinions.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Shitposts and memes are allowed but...


Only until they prove to be a problem. They can and will be removed at moderator discretion.


5. No trolling.


This shouldn't need an explanation. If your post or comment is made just to get a rise with no real value, it will be removed. You do this too often, you will get a vacation to touch grass, away from this community for 1 or more days. Repeat offenses will result in a perma-ban.



Instance-wide rules always apply. https://legal.lemmy.world/tos/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

We have big box stores for pets.

We have semi trucks burning diesel to bring pet food and pet supplies to all parts of the world.

We devote some amount of farm land and livestock to feeding those pets.

It's interesting when people suggest to reduce global human population but I have never heard anyone suggest to reduce pet populations as a method for combating climate change or for simply reducing resource usage.

The worldwide dog population is estimated to be 900 million.

There are 600 million to 1 billion cats living in the world today.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Same here. We have no kids and 2 dogs. We can eat bacon every day and not even come close to the load child families create not to mention long term!

[–] someguy3@lemmy.ca 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

They've studied this. IIRC 3 medium sized dogs equals one kid, adjusted to be per year. So you're almost there!

[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

But my dogs may live 10-12 years and won't have puppies. The line (and pollution) stops there. Whereas kids will make even more kids and keep increasing the total consumption

[–] someguy3@lemmy.ca 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Yes that was adjusted to be per year because dogs don't live as long. After that depends on the existence of either a dog or child, which depends on the demand for dogs for that part of the equation, and is still 3 to 1 at present time.

[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Do you have a link to that research? I can't see how this can be true in the larger picture. I will stop having dogs when I die but children will crow up, and have children of their own who also will do the same.

Me having pets instead of children puts a stop to that chain of placing consumers into the world and stopping such a strain, must be worth much more

[–] someguy3@lemmy.ca 0 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

Sigh. The study was not about children having children which is a different matter entirely. That's a different choice, by different people, and no they won't necessarily have children just like (shock) you were a child once and decided not to have children. It's about ownership of pets, adjusted to per year because yes pets don't live as long. Jfc. This seems like you don't like the result so you're trying to get out of it. Chow.

[–] RidgeDweller@sh.itjust.works 2 points 8 months ago

They're also asking for a source, which you're failing to provide.

[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 0 points 8 months ago

No - I'm simply stating that not having children is better for the environment than having pets especially in the long run (as I mentioned in my original comment). What I am arguing is that not having children sets a definite stop to a growing and (potentially) continually branching line of consumers and poluters. I am not looking at the comparison simply here and now, but as a whole and as a long term effect

I think we are comparing two slightly different things and thisbis why I wanted to compare what you are refering to, with what I was trying to explain