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Immigration has been a big challenge for many countries, and has been a source of conflict and frustration. But if we can’t handle today’s migrants, how will we handle the 2 Billion migrants we might see over the next 50 years? That’s the future of climate change, as many countries will be become too hot for humans to live. If we are not careful, this situation could be very destabilizing to the world. This will require completely different thinking about immigration, and a fundamentally different approach.
The good news: immigration can be economically great for the country receiving those immigrants, if the world plans for the future to take advantage of the opportunities.
Resources:
Climate-related heat & potential population displacement:
~ New York Times Magazine - July 23, 2020 The Great Climate Migration https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/23/magazine/climate-migration.html
~ The Guardian - May 5, 2020 One billion people will live in insufferable heat within 50 years – study: Human cost of climate crisis will hit harder and sooner than previously believed, research reveals https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/05/one-billion-people-will-live-in-insufferable-heat-within-50-years-study
~ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) - May 26, 2020 Future of the human climate niche https://www.pnas.org/content/117/21/11350
Conditions in refugee camps:
~ Wikipedia - Refugee Camp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee_camp
~ Wikipedia - Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohingya_refugees_in_Bangladesh
Economics of migration:
~ Nature - June 21, 2018 Migrants and refugees are good for economies: Analysis of 30 years of data from Western Europe refutes suggestions that asylum seekers pose a financial burden. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05507-0
~ University of Pennsylvania Wharton School - June 27, 2016 The Effects of Immigration on the United States' Economy https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2016/1/27/the-effects-of-immigration-on-the-united-states-economy
~ Wikipedia - Economic results of migration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_results_of_migration
~ Wikipedia - Economic impact of illegal immigrants in the United States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_impact_of_illegal_immigrants_in_the_United_States
Germany, an interesting case study:
~ The Guardian, 8/30/20
How Angela Merkel’s great migrant gamble paid off