We have just a few people traveling with or without permission to distant parts to escape politically difficult circumstances, but it is changing and soon we will see many more people who are forced to move so becoming climate refugees.
Australia, along with the rest of the world, is troubled by climate change, but as a rich Westernized nation is coping well, so far, with what’s happening and so many see Australia as something of a nirvana.
On a per capita basis Australia is among the worst, if not the worst, contributors to the world’s greenhouse gas difficulties and so surely we have a responsibility to deal with the changes we have wrought.
The difficulty is global and although other countries have played a bigger role than us, the solution is equally global meaning that we must be a part of the solution and prepare ourselves, psychologically and physically, to befriend some of the world’s climate refugee.
No longer can we be too precious about our borders, our sovereignty or independence, rather as a world citizen we have to understand the implications of climate change, which will be worsened by peak oil, and prepare our home for an influx of visitors, or climate refugees.
Can we stop these people? Physically, yes (I think), morally, no.
Emphasis in recent years has been about eliminating the world’s trade barriers ensuring a process that enrich and benefit just a few, while millions have little.
Borders around the world have been demolished in the name of trade, but they are as watertight as ever when it comes to people.
Happily taking another country’s goods suggests we should also willingly take its people as well.
Such an idea would no doubt bring loud protests from many, but soon the noise of those objections will be drowned out by the gathering storm of noise from climate change refugees and thousands wandering the world as they attempt to escape peak oil dilemmas.
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