Slash Immigration to Help Climate Change?

A study by the Monash University, Melbourne Australia, believes that Australian migration levels need to be slashed in order for the country to stand a chance in tackling climate change.
The study states that high population growth will act as a major diver of greenhouse emissions, which would in turn counter the current Australian Government, plans to reduce carbon output.
With the Australian Government recently announcing a 37,500 increase in places for migrant (for 2008-09) combined with current fertility rates, the population will increase by 10 million by 2050, taking the total population to 31.6 million.
Monash researchers Bob Birrell and Ernest Healy used computer modeling to predict the effect of population and economic growth on greenhouse emissions.

If no carbon trading scheme is introduced, Australian emissions will reach 797 million tones - or four times Labor's target - by 2050, the researchers found.

Emissions would only fall to 502 million tones if the nation managed to cut carbon intensity levels by one per cent a year under a tough cap and trade scheme.

"The problem with radical decarburization proposals is the limited political feasibility of these measures,'' the authors said.

The authors of the study stated that net migration would contribute to most of the 50 per cent increase in Australia's population over the next 40 years.

"Clearly, it's not possible to achieve the Government's target of 60 per cent reduction in emissions at the same time we add an extra 10 million people living at twice the current income level.''

The authors called for immigration to be slashed, and the population stabilized at about 22 million by 2050.

Prof Garnaut has predicted the population will reach 47 million by 2100.

Source: Herald Sun; July 23, 2008