Climate Change & the Immigrant Crisis

As the planet rockets headlong into climate change the immigration issue will continue to heat up. We can see the beginnings in what is presently happening in Europe. I had hoped to have an old friend in London due this piece but alas he has become unavailable. Don’t know why? But as you get to 94 years strange things happen that you may not be able to account for. Anyway I will do me best with what I have left.

After WW2 there were severe worker shortages in many European countries. That resulted in what became known as The Guest Worker Programs. Germany a country of 81 million people there are now 3.5 million Turks. Early on it was assumed that these Guest workers would turn out to be exactly that “Guests.” A guest is supposed to be just that. Someone who comes for a time and then goes back home. As of now these guests have seemed to have overstayed their welcome and many of the locals want them out of there.

In 2010 Angela Merkel Prime Minister of Germany said, “Germany as a multi cultural nation has failed.” So what happened? As long as there was a low unemployment rate nobody seemed to care to much. Once the economy began to slow guess what? The Neo Nazi skinheads began to rag on the Turks, “who are taking our jobs.” Germany is simply an example of what is beginning to happen all over Europe. France 23% of French citizens are product of immigrant parents. A million West Africans came there through Spain and Italy. Now with a 9% unemployment rate the old fascists are accusing the immigrants of “stealing our jobs.”

In the UK. United Kingdom ie Britain there are whole towns that have become majority Muslim. That wonderful old image of “Merry Old England” is rapidly fading to what it is becoming. A very small little island with a critical human density problem. It turns out that England with it population of 54 million people is the second most densely populated country with 660 people per square mile. Germany 500, France 300 and USA has 69 people per sq. mile. (This is probably the heart of American exceptionalism.) Malta is number one in population density and the UK is number 2. France, Spain the Netherlands as I indicated are all not far behind. The key issue for all the European countries is how large a population can the land support?

This is the fundamental question asked by concerned environmentalist? With arable land, potable water, fisheries all being impacted by climate change how can the planet feed, clothe and shelter the rapidly growing population? The short answer is, it cannot. Hence the the immigration crisis that has already begun. The best we can now hope for is that some accommodations can be made as the Brits. are trying to do. The alternative is what the Danes have done and the French are probably not far behind in TRYING yes just TRYING to close their borders. Now about the US.

Of course if you remember our extremely low density figure you might conclude that we don’t have a problem. Wrong. We have a problem with demagogues who are increasingly signaling out Mexican immigrants as being responsible for our economic mess. In Arizona we have Militias who have taken over control of the borders.That's an old right wing strategy of blaming the victim for the crisis. That takes the heat off the real culprits the Wall Street Bonus Boys. They are back having the same old fun with derivatives that gave us the present economic meltdown. The real tragedy for the Planet is the failure of the political leaders to heed the warnings of the environmental scientists. I am sad to report, it includes our very own President.

It is going to take some kind of critical smash up somewhere to wake up the world to the grim reality the future is facing. To many people in lands that cannot support them. That's the coming crisis of immigrant hordes coming across borders in search of food shelter and clothing. Just as basic as that.