EU Told To Prepare For Flood Of Climate Change Migrants - Guardian

[hatrack]

In its half-century history, the EU has absorbed wave upon wave of immigrants. There were the millions of political migrants fleeing Russian-imposed communism to western Europe throughout the cold war, the post-colonial and "guest worker" migrants who poured into western Europe in the boom years of the 1950s and 60s, the hundreds of thousands who escaped the Balkan wars of the 90s and the millions of economic migrants of the past decade seeking a better life.

Now, according to the EU's two senior foreign policy officials, Europe needs to brace itself for a new wave of migration with a very different cause - global warming. The ravages already being inflicted on parts of the developing world by climate change are engendering a new type of refugee, the "environmental migrant".

Within a decade "there will be millions of environmental migrants, with climate change as one of the major drivers of this phenomenon," predict Javier Solana and Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU's chief foreign policy coordinator and the European commissioner for external relations. "Europe must expect substantially increased migratory pressure." They point out that some countries already badly hit by global warming are demanding that the new phenomenon be recognised internationally as a valid reason for migration.

The immigration alert is but one of seven "threats" that the two officials focus on in pointing to the security implications and the dangers to European interests thrown up by climate change. Their report, the first of its kind to be tabled to an EU summit - opening on Thursday in Brussels - amounts to a wake-up call to the governments of Europe, a demand that they start taking account of climate change and its impact in their security and foreign-policy decisions.

EDIT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/10/climatechange.eu

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. but won't Europe be one of the places hardest hit?

If global warming continues, the Gulf Stream conveyor will cease functioning, and the whole continent will be subject to a mini-Ice Age at the very least.

[halobeam]

3. I think when that occurs

the tip of Florida and anything south of it won't freeze. I don't believe it's a continent issue, more like the Northern Hemisphere. If I'm wrong, I'd like that.

[endarkenment]

2. Ah the evil algore is hard at work causing trouble again.

I recently had the misfortune to listen in on rightwingworld and their view of what is Really Going On. Wow. That false noise is powerful stuff.