[Other Sport] Fertility rates fall to record low

[Questions]

I reckon it’s both that condoms are now made from a newer thinner stronger material and more men are sterile because of what the government are putting in the water .

 

[Zeberdi]

A full fact statement on how much urban building uses up land in Britain, green belt and arable farming land.

Has 92% of the country not been built on? - Full Fact

Estimates range between 88% and 99.9%. It also depends on if we include gardens and “green urban” areas.

fullfact.org

Yep, not so much land available for building new housing developments on when you look at it more closely certainly not the 98% claimed in a post above:


Just because land is categorised as ‘non-developed’, doesn’t mean it is ‘vacant’ or available to be built on … the top 3 categories of ’non-developed’ land include residential gardens, agricultural land and open water for example

• Agriculture’ (63.1%);
• ‘Forestry, open land and water’ (20.1%); and
• ‘Residential gardens’ (4.9%).

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I reckon it’s both that condoms are now made from a newer thinner stronger material and more men are sterile because of what the government are putting in the water .

More likely what your missus is putting in your water.

When I say water, I mean gin.

 

[Zeberdi]

If the concern is about too few workers in the years ahead, won't many (most?) jobs be replaced by AI in the next 10-20 years?

In which case, trying to increase the birthrate now will simply mean 30-40 million permanently unemployed by 2045 or sooner?

That is the point I raised above - the labour market is shrinking and has been for at least the past 20 years.

Increasing the birthrate is just wrong on so many levels.

 

[chickens]

I reckon it’s both that condoms are now made from a newer thinner stronger material and more men are sterile because of what the government are putting in the water .

How times change. In the 1970s it was Marlboro Man, in the 2020s it’s Brita Filter guy.

 

[Questions]

More likely what your missus is putting in your water.

When I say water, I mean gin.

She said to me recently that I was……..::::… , “A borderline alcoholic “
I soon corrected her on that one.
Nothing borderline about it…

 

[JamieR]

Maybe people are beginning to realise that there's more to life than spending significant amounts of emotional and financial capital bringing up the next generation of serfs.

 

[Right Brain Ronnie]

Ronnie is happy to spread some love....if this helps.

 

[BrightonCottager]

Yep, not so much land available for building new housing developments on when you look at it more closely certainly not the 98% claimed in a post above:


Just because land is categorised as ‘non-developed’, doesn’t mean it is ‘vacant’ or available to be built on … the top 3 categories of ’non-developed’ land include residential gardens, agricultural land and open water for example

• Agriculture’ (63.1%);
• ‘Forestry, open land and water’ (20.1%); and
• ‘Residential gardens’ (4.9%).

View attachment 191452

Good post.
The last government was committed to produce a Land Use Strategy (not that I ever believed they'd do it), partly because there's a lot more competition for agricultural land for solar farms, carbon, nutrient and biodiversity offsetting, housing, data centres, pylons, flood storage Environmental Land Management schemes etc etc.
So far, this government has announced a spatial Energy plan and a water plan, will be announcing a revised Infrastructure plan, but nothing to knit them all together, taking into account what's happening to population numbers.

 

[beorhthelm]

One factor that is often ignored yet does have an economic outcome is the age at which couples marry or commence a long term commitment.

In 1970 on average men married at 28 and women at 25.

By 2023 that had risen to 35 and 33 respectively.

This no doubt has an effect on the birth rate and savings.

having children outof marriage is not only no longer a taboo, it's pretty oridinary thing. not sure a link between marriage age and birth rate would stand up to substantive analysis.

 

[Creaky]

having children outof marriage is not only no longer a taboo, it's pretty oridinary thing. not sure a link between marriage age and birth rate would stand up to substantive analysis.

I'm not so sure. Granted having children born out of wedlock is no longer a taboo it does seem reasonable to assume that if those who do marry do so at an older age than previously, then there would be a correlation with the age of those commencing a long term relationship.

Currently most births in the UK are to women over 30yet women under 30 are significantly more fertile.

 

[beorhthelm]

Yep, not so much land available for building new housing developments on when you look at it more closely certainly not the 98% claimed in a post above:


Just because land is categorised as ‘non-developed’, doesn’t mean it is ‘vacant’ or available to be built on … the top 3 categories of ’non-developed’ land include residential gardens, agricultural land and open water for example

• Agriculture’ (63.1%);
• ‘Forestry, open land and water’ (20.1%); and
• ‘Residential gardens’ (4.9%).

View attachment 191452

that table is overlooking the details. the full fact link says less than 6% urban, the same gov site the table comes from says 8.7% land is developed. we could increase all urban areas by 10%, which is quite a lot and easily solve housing, and be in 6-9.5% range for developed land. or put another way, that means developing less than 1% non-developed land. the full fact link references research from University of Sheffield which is highly detailed analysis of land use, showing 28% of land is "pasture", rolled into agriculture in the table. that's low grade grass lands not really fit for anything much, not valuable arable land, not forests, delicate moors, or bogs, that wouldn't be missed if we used about 1/30th it for building on.

 

[B-right-on]

My eldest daughter lives near Shoreham hospital, so in the catchment area of 4-5 Primary schools. My Grandson starts school next year and so she's been looking at schools and she said that they are all under-subscribed for next year. I was pretty shocked as when my youngest started school 13 years ago they were all over subscribed and we struggled to get her into a school in Shoreham.

 

[Creaky]

that table is overlooking the details. the full fact link says less than 6% urban, the same gov site the table comes from says 8.7% land is developed. we could increase all urban areas by 10%, which is quite a lot and easily solve housing, and be in 6-9.5% range for developed land. or put another way, that means developing less than 1% non-developed land. the full fact link references research from University of Sheffield which is highly detailed analysis of land use, showing 28% of land is "pasture", rolled into agriculture in the table. that's low grade grass lands not really fit for anything much, not valuable arable land, not forests, delicate moors, or bogs, that wouldn't be missed if we used about 1/30th it for building on.

The biggest need for new housing exists in London, the South East and other prosperous conurbations such as Oxford and Edinburgh.

How much of the pasture land that you refer to is actually in green belt, SSIs or areas of outstanding beauty where building is currently restricted?

 

[The Clamp]

Probably all the plastic in our klonkers.

Microplastics found in every human testicle in study

Scientists say discovery may be linked to decades-long decline in sperm counts in men around the world

www.theguardian.com

 

[Bry Nylon]

Watched a re-run of an old episode of Porridge on BBC4 this evening, during which Fletcher told this gag to Blanco:

Chap in his eighties goes to the doctor and says, “Doc - me and the wife don’t seem to be enjoying sex as much as we used to anymore.”
Doctor is slightly taken aback and says, “Well, how old is your wife?”
“Seventy nine,” replies the man.
“Seventy nine?” exclaims the doctor. “And when did you discover this?”
“Twice last night and then again this morning,” replies the fella.

Doesn’t illuminate the topic or the thread any, but it made me smile.

 

[beorhthelm]

The biggest need for new housing exists in London, the South East and other prosperous conurbations such as Oxford and Edinburgh.

How much of the pasture land that you refer to is actually in green belt, SSIs or areas of outstanding beauty where building is currently restricted?

overall very little. in the south, probably much of it around towns and cities. there's part of the problem, we've created restrictions on our use of basic land. good way to stop development in the area is get it designated as some land that cant be developed. vast swathes of non-descript land get rolled up in an SSI because a few hectares have some interesting newt colony or we arbitarily think it's a nice view. then people complain about property costing too much and their kids cant live in the area. all self imposed.

 

[Creaky]

overall very little. in the south, probably much of it around towns and cities. there's part of the problem, we've created restrictions on our use of basic land. good way to stop development in the area is get it designated as some land that cant be developed. vast swathes of non-descript land get rolled up in an SSI because a few hectares have some interesting newt colony or we arbitarily think it's a nice view. then people complain about property costing too much and their kids cant live in the area. all self imposed.

Or . . looking at the problem from a different direction, rather than building on "protected" land where the demand is highest move that demand to areas where land is available.

Take measures to increase the number of jobs and improve the infrastructure in those areas in order to make them more attractive. At the same time halt public spending in high demand areas.

Obviously not a quick solution but one that makes sense in the long run.

 

[beorhthelm]

Or . . looking at the problem from a different direction, rather than building on "protected" land where the demand is highest move that demand to areas where land is available.

Take measures to increase the number of jobs and improve the infrastructure in those areas in order to make them more attractive. At the same time halt public spending in high demand areas.

Obviously not a quick solution but one that makes sense in the long run.

half agree, telling younger generation to move north, cut investment in the south is one logical alternative approach. politically courageous, no one has directly tried it though.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

I'm not so sure. Granted having children born out of wedlock is no longer a taboo it does seem reasonable to assume that if those who do marry do so at an older age than previously, then there would be a correlation with the age of those commencing a long term relationship.

Currently most births in the UK are to women over 30yet women under 30 are significantly more fertile.

What about medical advancements over the last 20 oor so years? Better contraception, morning after pill and termination clinics?

These collectively must be suppressng birth rates?

Also, the catholics seem more accepting of contraception these days. Downside is that nun recruitment at the mother and baby units has dropped off a bit ....