Resource hub

Population Matters has been conducting research and producing briefings and government submissions for more than 20 years. You can use this page to find resources on a wide variety of population and environmental subjects.

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Note: Documents published by Population Matters in the past may not reflect current policies or positions.

Resources

Teenage pregnancy

One in six pregnancies in the UK is unintended and teenage pregnancy rates are the highest in Western Europe.

Population and Resource Security

As the world is faced with other more pressing challenges, resource security is gradually diminishing.

How population growth affects poverty reduction

Unsustainable population growth impedes women’s empowerment, redirects government and household resources away from investment and limits job opportunities, while also lowering wages for those limited jobs.

Response to IDC Inquiry on Humanitarian Emergencies

Increasing access to, and use of, family planning services both generally and in the context of humanitarian emergencies can very significantly reduce the impact of crises on children.

Water challenges in the world and the UK

Freshwater is not an unlimited resource, and the world has seen its water consumption levels rise rapidly in the past hundred years.

Population and food security

‘End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030.’ The world set itself a considerable challenge in the Sustainable Development Goals.

The benefits of smaller families

Dominant cultural norms often influence couples in their choice of family size. Depending on the context, this decision can be traced to religious, cultural or socio- economic reasons, such as the need for support in old age.

However, it is proven that a family size of two or fewer children provides many benefits both to the parents and the children.

The feminist case for smaller families

More and more women are choosing to have smaller families. Many are choosing to forego having children entirely. Such choices have been criticised in the past, but attitudes are changing as more people come to see the benefits of having smaller families or living a childfree life.

Ending child poverty in the UK through smaller families

Teenage pregnancy in England and Wales

Teenage pregnancy rates in England and Wales are at their lowest point since records began. This is due, primarily, to government action, which has improved the provision of sex and relationships education (SRE) and increased access to contraception for young people.

Asserting family-size choice

An increasing number of people are choosing to have smaller families, while many others decide to forego having children entirely. While the choice to remain childless remains subject to a lot of criticism, the topic of voluntary childlessness is increasingly up for debate.

The financial case for smaller families

The average cost of raising a child in the UK has risen dramatically over the last decade. Excluding housing, it now costs, on average, almost a quarter of a million pounds to raise a child from birth to age 21.

Why family size varies in England and Wales

Of the latest group of women in England and Wales to have reached the end of their childbearing years, four in five have had children. The majority of these women have two or more children, women are now as likely to be childless as to have three children, and one in every ten women has four or more children.

Why population matters for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

On its website, the RSPB states,

‘We are creating a world rich in nature’.

That is an ambitious
and admirable statement – but, unfortunately, not one that is generally accurate.

Why population matters for Friends of the Earth

Friends of the Earth’s declared mission is to: “Make life better for people by inspiring solutions to environmental problems”.

Why population matters for the Campaign to Protect Rural England

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is one of the leading conservation organisations in England – focused, as its name states, on the protection, sustainable use and enjoyment of England’s countryside in particular.

Energy consumption in the UK and the world

Larger populations, industrial developments and more wealth have increased energy demand greatly. Currently, the world relies predominantly on fossil fuels that are not only harmful for our environment but are also limited in supply.

Population growth exacerbates flood risk

Population growth increases both the likelihood and the potential impact of flooding by increasing the pressure on sewer systems and prompting urban expansion into areas at high risk of flooding.

Waste in the UK and the world

While waste disposal was once a local concern, today it is a global challenge. The consumption of finite resources, and the damaging of the earth in the processes of mineral extraction, pollution and waste management, transcend borders. 1

Resource security

Resources are fundamental for maintaining and improving our quality of life. Although the role of fossil fuels for the generation of energy is often highlighted, the essential role of metals, minerals, rocks and biotic materials is much less discussed. Nevertheless, non-energy raw materials are widely used.