By Jaeyeon Kim, New York.
The Guardian reported on the 21st (local time) that far-right political parties and politicians in the United States and Europe are using the climate crisis to incite fear of migrants and refugees. Instead of denying the climate crisis like former US President Donald Trump, they are adopting a new strategy that uses public awareness of the climate crisis as a basis for hatred of migrants, saying that “migrants are the main culprits of environmental pollution.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who hosted the 26th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), said in an interview with Channel 4 on the 30th of last month, "If COP26 does not discover the possibility of limiting the increase in global temperature, humanity will be in serious trouble. They will face it,” he said, citing the fall of the Roman Empire as an example. He also argued that the Roman Empire's failure to control its borders led to an influx of immigrants, which eventually brought a dark age to Europe. They linked COP26 to immigration issues without any basis. Comments were posted on the interview video saying, “It sounds nonsense.”
In addition to Prime Minister Johnson, right-wing politicians around the world are arguing that migrants will exacerbate the climate crisis. Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a Republican from the United States, filed a lawsuit demanding the construction of a border wall between the United States and Mexico in April. It has direct consequences.”
Germany's far-right Party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has called for strengthening borders, saying harsh climatic conditions in Africa and the Middle East are expected to result in large-scale migrations of people from these regions to Europe. The Swiss People's Party (SVP), the main opposition party in Switzerland, said that if 1 million migrants are accepted, a new road must be built, and that "those who want to protect the Swiss environment must fight against migration in large numbers."
Immigrants trying to cross the border between the United States and Mexico head towards the border near Esquintla, Mexico, on the 20th (local time). | Reuters Yonhap News
Experts explained that as public interest in the climate crisis grows, right-wing politicians who have denied the very existence of the climate crisis are changing their stance. Catherine Piesy, a political analyst who tracks populist discourse, pointed out that migrants are trying to build an image of ‘foreigners polluting our country’ as right-wing politicians around the world argue that the current ruling elite’s response to the climate crisis is wrong.
Joe Turner, a professor at York University and Dan Bailey, a professor at Manchester Metropolitan University, analyzed 22 far-right political parties in Europe and pointed out that they justify hatred of migrants and racism in the name of protecting the environment. While it is true that the number of migrants worldwide is increasing, they point out that the logic of right-wing politicians is contradictory, saying that this is a result, not a cause, of the climate crisis. Migrants are victims of the climate crisis, not the main culprits.
Some are even committing racist crimes in the name of solving the climate crisis. In March 2019, a terrorist who opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand and killed 49 people, has expressed displeasure, accusing migrants of being the main culprit of environmental destruction. That same year, the shooter who opened fire in El Paso, Texas, claimed that Hispanic people were polluting water and creating plastic waste, "putting a huge burden on future generations."
The problem is that the far-right arguments are spreading among citizens even though they are logically inconsistent. Piesci said that people in countries affected economically by the COVID-19 crisis could be concerned that the climate crisis response could tighten their belts further, which he feared would lead to an atmosphere justifying the exclusion of migrants
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