What the First World people must understand is that the current waves of immigrants across the globe are the beginnings of mass migrations that social and environmental scientists have been warning us about for years.

These are not immigrants seeking a better life. They are fleeing unlivable conditions. As parts of this Earth become uninhabitable because of water and food shortages, martial conflict, overpopulation, instability and rising sea levels, the people living in those areas are going to go somewhere else.

How are we going to deal with it? Where are they going to go? Countries are attempting to deal with this using 20th-century techniques and, obviously, it is not going well. European countries are arguing and pointing fingers while boats filled with people are anchored offshore. The U.S. is talking about building border walls and using the military like it is the zombie apocalypse, while we irritate the countries bordering us with tariffs.

Last year South Africa’s second-largest city, Cape Town, came within days of running out of water. Forest fires, floods and water shortages are creating nearly unlivable areas in our own country. This is the issue of our generation and we better get together right now and figure out how we are going to address it on a global scale. And, just to put it in perspective, there are approximately 360,000 babies born on this planet each day (15,000 an hour). That is more than twice the number of people who die.

Anthony Winslow

Gray

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