When you’ve done something wrong it’s easier to distract than make amends. And when it comes to family and population policy, a lot of influential people did a lot of wrong.

They chose totally unsustainable growth, and inequitable family policies, that that destroyed biodiversity and created vast inequity. And they did it in blatant violation of human rights and international law. One of those men is Joseph Kahn, lead at the New York Times.

So rather than paying back the wealth they made by imposing costs on others they have come up with a brilliant distraction – an underpopulation crisis. In the middle of a climate catastrophe and inequity that could drive class warfare, the real problem is that women are not having enough kids to maintain the same system that created these problems.

Here are three types of men pushing that lie. And we can stop them by telling the truth: We have the right to take back the wealth they took, and compensate future generations, by all means effective.

The Investor

Rather than create value, say through true innovation that creates real value, some men rely on women to have kids to grow economies by literally adding bodies. Elon Musk is a great example, though there are many others that qualify.

The Politician

Politicians generally sit atop a pyramid of people, and they expand their power by growing the base. Mitt Romney is a great example of this, and they generally serve the Investor-types, not the people under them.

The Economist/Academic

These are the men who promoted unsustainable systems because it would create amazing short-term benefits while foisting the costs on women, and future generations. Paul Morland and Will MacAskill are great examples of these sorts. They provide legitimacy for the Investors and Politicians.

How do we stop them? We can make them tell the truth: The climate and inequity crises facing the world today are causing, and will cause, immense suffering. These crises fundamentally flow from the policies that enriched these men by putting costs on others. Because family policies are primary, we do not need governments permission to take back the wealth these men took.

TAKE ACTION: THE UNITED NATIONS IS CLOSER THAN EVER TO AUTHORIZING FAMILY/CLIMATE REPARATIONS THAT WOULD LET US TARGET THESE MEN AND OTHERS LIKE THEM. URGE THE SECRETARY GENERAL TO SAY THE MAGIC WORDS – “A FAIR START IN LIFE IS THE FIRST AND OVERRIDING HUMAN RIGHT.”