Contraception: The Most Green-Friendly Technology There Is

Posted Dec 27th 2009 3:20PM by Zac Bissonnette
Filed under: Green

A recent study from the London School of Economics produced some findings that could be seen as a blow to proponents of aggressive investment in emerging green technologies: investments in contraception are five times more effective in reducing carbon emissions than green energy technologies like wind and solar power.

The symbol of the green movement shouldn't be a wind turbine. It should be a condom.

"It's always been obvious that total emissions depend on the number of emitters as well as their individual emissions –- the carbon tonnage can't shoot down, as we want, while the population keeps shooting up," Roger Martin, chairman of the Optimum Population Trust, the British environmental group that sponsored the study, said in a statement. "The taboo on mentioning this fact has made the whole climate change debate so far somewhat unreal."

The best part is that there is tremendous progress that can be made on reducing population growth (and therefore CO2 emissions) through increased availability of contraception: according to the UN, roughly 40% of pregnancies globally are unwanted.

Bottom line? If you want to invest in companies that are committed to reducing global warming, skip all those hot green energy stocks. The publicly-traded parent of Trojan Condoms, Church & Dwight Inc. (CHD), is a far more socially-conscious investment from a pragmatic perspective -- even if it's not as politically correct.

Tags: carbon reduction, CHD, Church and Dwight, Contraception, Green, greentech, London School of Economics, Optimum Population Trust, overpopulation, Roger Martin