Still responsible to have children today?

My daughter's exposure to climate change ideas in college has led her to question whether it's responsible to have any children (who will each have a "carbon footprint"). I hate to think that we should refuse God's gift of children because of climate change fears. Can you shed any light on this?

More than any other people in the world, Christians have reason to care for the environment. That is because we recognize “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters” (Psalm 24:1-2). We care for God’s creation because it belongs to him and because it is God’s directive for us to do so (Genesis 1:28).

Still, concern—real or imagined—for the environment needs to be balanced by the fact that the Creator of the universe is the Preserver of the universe. People are not in control of this world. God is. Review Job 38-41 to renew your appreciation for God’s control of the universe he created.

With God in control, and with his pronouncement that children are blessings from him (Psalm 127:3-5), there is no reason to refuse God’s gift of children for environmental concerns. The observation of the psalmist still rings true today: “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing” (Psalm 145:15-16). As redeemed children of God, we seek to manage all of God’s blessings faithfully, while recognizing and trusting that God ultimately rules all things in his perfect wisdom and love (1 Chronicles 29:10-13).