Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Conservatives and environmental left find common ground on immigration

It seems that every issue has a nexus to global warming.

Many political/cultural conservatives in the U.S. have long been known for their opposition to uncontrolled immigration into our country. Most (like me) are in favor of doing whatever it takes to stop illegal immigration (i.e. if they come legally and play by the rules, God bless 'em). A smaller number say the only way to solve the problem is to stop all immigration, at least for a while.

WorldNetDaily reminds us in a May 23 article that the environmental left has reason to oppose all immigration into the U.S. -- every new immigrant to America in particular brings the entire planet one step closer to destruction:
A new study by a renowned physicist ties the immigration-reform bill in Congress to global warming, warning that the consequent increase in U.S. population poses an even greater threat to the planet's survival.

Albert A. Bartlett, a Harvard Ph.D. and professor emeritus of physics at the University of Colorado, explains each person in the U.S. is responsible, directly or indirectly, for emission of 23.8 tons of greenhouse gases annually.

"So if we are serious about reduction of U.S. emission of greenhouse gases in the hope of slowing or stopping global warming, then it is imperative that the first thing we do is to stop the U.S. population growth," Bartlett declared.

Bartlett emphasized that since immigration – most of it legal – is estimated to account for about three quarters of the present annual increase in the U.S. population, it is essential "we do everything possible to halt U.S. population growth quickly."

[...] Bartlett further argues mass immigration also increases the nation's birth rate. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, immigration's annual contribution to population growth reaches nearly 90 percent if children born to recent immigrants are counted.