The count of “How many humans will be born” is a pretty useful number to engage in moral reasoning about how our actions today relate to the future. If we neglect carbon induced climate change because we wont be around for the worst of it, we are dooming potentially trillions of future humans to a lousy existance because of our lack of action. If we assume that their lives will have the same value as our own (We do have to be careful with this line of reasoning, it can have intolerable implications on a currently hot topic in the courts when taken to its logical ends), then the immorality of ignoring their plight is legion. Bad news.
Putting a number on it, lets us factor that into a utilitarian calculus. Good stuff. Kurzgesagt really do science communications the right way.
The count of “How many humans will be born” is a pretty useful number to engage in moral reasoning about how our actions today relate to the future. If we neglect carbon induced climate change because we wont be around for the worst of it, we are dooming potentially trillions of future humans to a lousy existance because of our lack of action. If we assume that their lives will have the same value as our own (We do have to be careful with this line of reasoning, it can have intolerable implications on a currently hot topic in the courts when taken to its logical ends), then the immorality of ignoring their plight is legion. Bad news.
Putting a number on it, lets us factor that into a utilitarian calculus. Good stuff. Kurzgesagt really do science communications the right way.