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Capital "W", Wacko:
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"[It's] the endless population growth [from immigration] in our own country that is ravishing our lands. Because of our high levels of consumption, such growth is plundering environments elsewhere on Earth as well."
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The basic argument being made here by Ben Zuckerman of the Sierra Club is that immigration creates population growth, population growth damages the environment and, therefore, immigration must be damaging the environment.
At the risking of pointing out the bloody obivous, if immigrants didn't immigrate they'd still be living, they just wouldn't be living here. Immigration doesn't increase population, it just moves people around. If you want to solve the population growth problem, how about we start by trying to stop the actual population growth? Like in the third world, maybe?
But, of course, I suspect Mr. Zuckerman already knows this. He probably also knows that immigrants to developed nations have much lower birth rates than their counter parts in the developing world -- so, immigration actually slows population growth.
What Mr. Zuckerman is really getting at is revealed by his menition of our "high levels of consumption". Immigration creates richer people, richer people consume more, more consumption damages the environment... you get the point.
So, keep poor people poor, it's good for mother Earth.
That may not be racist, but sure sounds insane.
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