The Dixie fires, Hurricane Ida, and subzero temperatures in Texas that knocked out the power grid and killed 210 people are just a few of the climate disasters that have occurred in the last year alone. Looking to the future, global temperatures are projected to rise between 2.5 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit, with a once-in-20-year heat wave every two or three years, and sea levels rising up to eight feet. No wonder women are having second thoughts about sending more people into this rapidly deteriorating world.

In fact, according to a new survey conducted by reproductive health company Modern Fertility (opens in new tab) and provided exclusively to Marie Claire, 58% of women are adjusting their family planning due to climate change concerns. They are particularly concerned about "the world [their] children will inherit"; one-third say they want to reduce the number of children they have for this reason.

While 34% of the more than 2,800 American women surveyed have reduced their previously envisioned family size, a larger cohort has either reaffirmed what is important to them (17%) or increased their sense of urgency (14%) because the current crisis on Earth has made them said it had actually accelerated their schedule for having children. [There also appear to be economic factors. Lower-income respondents were more likely to say they planned to have children earlier, with 22% of respondents earning less than $50,000 compared to only 7% of women earning more than $200,000. If the problem worsens, it may mean that natural resources will become a luxury item and the rich and very wealthy will not have to worry about them. Other financial considerations: the cost of being displaced by a climate disaster, the cost of repairing or replacing property destroyed by the next Hurricane Katrina or Camp Fire.

For some women, environmental issues are causing them to rethink how they raise their families: more than a quarter of respondents said they have considered adopting a child rather than a biological child. The survey found a statistically significant difference between Gen Z and Millennials, 32% vs. 25%, respectively.

"Gen Z is acutely aware of the climate crisis in a way that other generations in the same reproductive age are not," says Jane Van Dis, OB/GYN and founder of Time's Up Healthcare.

"Generation Z is seeing the news that by not having children, they are limiting the amount of carbon for which they are personally responsible."

But this may be an unfair weight to place on the shoulders of individual mothers. Certainly, the fossil fuel industry is the larger cause of climate change, and there is only so much a parent or potential parent can control. There is a lot of tension in terms of what is individual responsibility and what is societal responsibility." It is clear that women are thinking about their responsibilities: nearly 40% say they feel it is "irresponsible and unethical" to continue having more children with the problems the earth already faces.

Migration is one of the consequences of global warming that experts are seeing in real time. Migration is often discussed in the context of refugees fleeing the least developed countries. However, American women are also concerned about where they live: Nearly one-third of women surveyed said they had considered moving to a new location before starting a family because of the impact of climate change on where they currently live. agreed with this statement more than Millennials (39% vs. 29%). As Dr. Van Dis points out, "[Gen Z] is not as loyal to place and company as previous generations." "

While it is important to understand women's attitudes around family planning, it is not just attitudes that are being affected by climate change. "[Climate change is] increasing rates of infertility. Climate change is leading to more complications during childbirth, more premature births, and more sperm loss (opens in new tab)," says Dr. Van Dis. 'In a way, it feels like the fossil fuel industry has taken control of humanity.'