BELIEVE it or not, there was a serious article precisely on this topic, and I found the premises and conclusions interesting.
First, consider that a nuclear family usually resides in a single home unit, and only branches out as children grow and begin families of their own. These family homes consume a given amount of electricity, generate a certain amount of heat and contribute a given amount of carbon into the atmosphere. They will need to consume a certain amount of resources to survive and be useful citizens.
The article then takes a look at what happens to families that have divorced or separated parents. Usually, in these cases, we find the beginning of two family home units, with the separated spouses living apart in different houses. The problem, therefore, is that these two separate households tend to consume just a bit more in terms of resources, and generate a larger collective carbon footprint.
Ergo, divorced or separated families tend to contribute more towards global warming!
This hypothesis should probably be received warmly by the pro-life and pro-family movements, if not the pro-environment forces out there. Which would probably cause a groan of anguish among those who believe that the right to choose is paramount.
At any rate, I present this and leave it to each of you to draw your own conclusions.
January 14th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
This is probably one of those topics that will draw adherents from opposite ends of the opinion spectrum. I have my own personal views on the subject, which are mostly faith-based, but I will not inflict them on anyone — at least, not in this blog.
While the argument against separate households contains some truth to it on an objective basis, this does not mean that people with special needs or who suffer like our battered housewife shouldn’t just pack up and go. After all, personal safety should be a guiding principle in many actions.
At any rate, the idea was just to get people thinking that there are many dimensions to this concept called global warming and the creation of carbon footprints.
Thank you for your interest
D Fernandez
January 6th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
increasing population and rapid industrialization are the root causes of global warming. so whether people divorce or not, if they keep on making babies and using resources wastefully, then they contribute to global warming.
im doubtful of these kinds of studies because they tend to deviate from the real argument and seems to be used merely as a tool for gaining support in other topics (such as divorce).
If the proponent really is serious about this study and he campaigns against divorce because of its effect on the environment, then would he also campaign on using contraceptives and family planning to curb rapid population growth?
January 6th, 2008 at 8:51 am
perfectly said!
January 5th, 2008 at 1:27 am
hi, good catching topic you write, because this sunday (Jan. 06 ‘08) morning I’ll be preaching a topic about divorce taken from the passage of St. Mark gospel in chapter 10 verses 1 and so on…
Godblest!
- aurel
January 4th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
You do have a point there. IMHO, you will have to consider the human aspect of these divorces and annulments. There are battered wives/husbands out there who may just really need to get out of a really bad situation.
I think there are other ways to address the global warming issue because you are addressing it to very sensitive people who have just undergone divorce or annulment.
We all have a right to choose but whatever the decision may be, we should all learn to respect that. I may sound defensive. But it’s because I was once a battered wife.