In a new report, the right-wing Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) is promoting its anti-immigrant agenda by suggesting that “Immigration to the United States significantly increases world-wide CO2 emissions,” and “future levels of immigration will have a significant impact on efforts to reduce global CO2 emissions.”
CIS criticizes “environmentalists” for using a “piecemeal” approach of opposing fossil fuels and promoting conservation, claiming that the real way to help the environment would be to stop immigration. From the report:
Immigration to the United States significantly increases world-wide CO2 emissions
because it transfers population from lower-polluting parts of the world to the United States, which is a higher polluting country. On average immigrants increase their emissions four-fold by coming to America.
CIS assumes that each American will always have the same “stabilized” rate of carbon emission, and thus population growth — fueled by immigrants — is entirely to blame for a rise in American CO2 levels. But instead of proposing that Americans modify their behavior and emit less carbon, CIS simply posits stopping immigration to cut down on population.
As the Immigration Policy Center (IPC) pointed out in a press release, CIS is using all these arguments to essentially scapegoat immigrants:
Immigrants are not the problem – the U.S. lifestyle and U.S. CO2 emissions are the problem. … We could choose any group of Americans – the wealthy, residents of a particular state, dog owners, accountants, redheads – and eliminating that group would lower emissions.
CIS, whose founder Mark Krikorian has said that “immigration is incompatible with modern society,” has a history of promoting outrageous ideas to control migration to the U.S. These include attempting to deport the spouses of American soldiers, and suggesting Americans try “making America a more inhospitable place” for immigrants.
But CIS is not alone on the right in blaming immigrants for environmental problems. Homeland Security Chairman Michael Chertoff has also said that immigrants “degrade the environment” with “human waste, garbage, discarded bottles and other human artifact.”
First leprosy now this.
August 13th, 2008 at 3:47 pmDamn those immigrants for coming to the United States in their SUVs and luxury automobiles….
August 13th, 2008 at 3:48 pmIf the Titanic didn’t have all those immigrants in steerage, it never would have sank.
snark
August 13th, 2008 at 3:49 pmYeah, let’s blame the poor immigrants, who are working hard at lawn cleanup, house building, repairs and waiting on tables and working in restaurant kitchens for the air pollution and CO2 rising… It couldn’t be the rich piggy native-born Americans, with their fleets of SUVs, monster houses and endless toys. No, it couldn’t be us… It must be somebody else… Hmm, let’s pick on the nearly voiceless immigrants… Heck of smear, Center for Immigration Studies (CIS)…
August 13th, 2008 at 3:50 pmSo now the hate America right believes in greenhouse emission reports as long as they can use it in a bigoted way?
What mind set will believe this?
August 13th, 2008 at 3:50 pmWell, on the bright side, at least they’re not denying the science of global climate change.
It’s ont intellectual baby step forward, followed a giant intellectual leap toward idiocy.
August 13th, 2008 at 3:50 pmI blame right wing hate groups for their emissions.
August 13th, 2008 at 3:51 pmRight wing pollution at its worst.
August 13th, 2008 at 3:52 pmTalk about reaching for reasons to blame immigrants!!
August 13th, 2008 at 3:53 pmLike they’re the ones buying the Hummers – yeah, those immigrants that’s what they do – pollute!
“Immigration to the United States significantly increases world-wide CO2 emissions because it transfers population from lower-polluting parts of the world to the United States, which is a higher polluting country. On average immigrants increase their emissions four-fold by coming to America.”
I think this is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard (and must be #976 in an apparently never-ending series of ‘The Dumbest Thing I’ve Ever Heard From Right-Wingers’)
August 13th, 2008 at 3:53 pmDorky me…. CIS were the bad guys in the Clone Wars
August 13th, 2008 at 3:53 pmGee. I would blame the rich fat bastards who eat at fancy restaurants every night, then pass that gas into the atmosphere.
August 13th, 2008 at 3:54 pmtest
August 13th, 2008 at 4:56 pmNext we will hear that the immigrants are responsible for the high price of gas, the huge national debt, the devalued dollar and all the deaths in Iraq …. Oh, wait, that would be the BushCo Repugs.
My Bad!
August 13th, 2008 at 4:56 pmFrom the conclusion of this bit of drivel:
Intellectually dishonest? Really?
Hey, wanna see some intellectual dishonesty? How about this whole study, and the fact that its economic models make no attempt to quantify the environmental impacts of immigrants staying in their home countries. Such as, for example, the consequences of people staying in the #2 and #3 sending countries, China and India, the two fastest-growing polluters in the world? Or if they migrate to the heavily-polluted cities of the Persian Gulf, or to growing megalopolises in South America and Africa?
August 13th, 2008 at 4:56 pmOn average immigrants increase their emissions four-fold by coming to America.
If only we could stop those darn immigrants from running around in our yards with their doggone gas powered lawn mowers!
August 13th, 2008 at 5:01 pmGreat logic. Don’t let immigrants in so they won’t pollute as much as we do.
Hey, maybe immigrants are the reason for $4 gas too!
August 13th, 2008 at 5:04 pmDaryll!
Good to see you again!
And what kind of gases would those be, pray tell? Are they different from your gases, or mine?
You are such a riot.
August 13th, 2008 at 5:04 pmBluNews Says:
Hey, maybe immigrants are the reason for $4 gas too!
Well sure they are. See #16.
August 13th, 2008 at 5:06 pmWe should make the ban on immigration retroactive and deport Kirkorian
August 13th, 2008 at 5:11 pmBluNews Says:
Great logic. Don’t let immigrants in so they won’t pollute as much as we do.
August 13th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
_____
Since the study uses PPP comparisons to back up its hypothesis, it’s also an implicit argument against providing development assistance or even food aid to the world’s poorest countries. If we keep the poorest people in the world from developing/overcoming poverty/surviving, we keep them from polluting.
And since it’s written in a quasi-academic style, I expect this report to be cited ad-infinitum by the anti-immigration bigots and science deniers alike. The science deniers get to use it to show that climate science is racist, and the bigots get to pretend they’re being green.
This is just disgusting on so many levels.
August 13th, 2008 at 5:15 pmImmigration to the United States significantly increases world-wide CO2 emissions
because it transfers population from lower-polluting parts of the world to the United States, which is a higher polluting country. On average immigrants increase their emissions four-fold by coming to America.
So as long as you are an “original” member of the American “club” it’s okay to pollute all you want. But everyone else has to stay away and keep their emmisions to a minimum.
http://progressiveworldreview.com
August 13th, 2008 at 5:23 pmSomebody check and see if we’re approaching a full moon.
The wingnuttery is in full bloom right now.
August 13th, 2008 at 5:29 pmI thought these wingnuts didn’t believe in climate change. Or maybe there is climate change but CO2 isn’t to blame, it’s the sun. Or if CO2 is to blame, it’s not because of human activity.
Unless, of course, you want to blame it on all those leaf blowers.
August 13th, 2008 at 5:29 pmThe Republic of Stupidity Says:
Somebody check and see if we’re approaching a full moon.
The wingnuttery is in full bloom right now.
August 13th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Almost. The moon’s in a waxing gibbous phase, 91% full.
It would be interesting to do a study of insane wingnuttery and moon phases over the past eight years, to see if there’s any correlation. I somehow doubt it – these guys are just as loony wherever the lunar terminator lies.
August 13th, 2008 at 5:34 pmEmissions would mainly decrease because the fat, rich Reichwingers wouldn’t have any immigrants to cook for them.
August 13th, 2008 at 5:35 pmDoes this mean the right wing now believes in population control? That means birth control, right?
How can you argue that population growth is bad for greenhouse gas emissions, and not accept zero population growth?
August 13th, 2008 at 5:53 pmWhat’s the record for most “stupidest things ever” in one day? Because today has to be challenging that record!
This crap doesn’t even make sense in stereotypical Reichwing “logic”. Do they forget that, according to their stereotypes, “illegal immigrants” travel 10 to a car and live with entire, extended, families in small hovels? Heck! They should thank all the “illegal immigrants” for making our averages look better.
August 13th, 2008 at 5:54 pmDaryll Says:
——————————————————————————–
They give off other gases besides greenhouse.
Daryll, did you know that the vast majority of Mexican immigrants are good Christians who love Jesus as much as you do?
When the Rapture comes, you will get to fly naked through the air with all those naked Mexicans, as you all immigrate to the promised land, where you will live with the naked Mexicans forever.
August 13th, 2008 at 6:11 pmShoeless:
The only way Daryll will ever make it into Heaven is by sneaking through the gate under a truckload of fertilizer.
August 13th, 2008 at 6:23 pmImmigrationphobia: It’s the new racism!!
August 13th, 2008 at 7:55 pmA few years ago, CIS and The Rand Corporation published terribly flawed studies blaming the rise in uninsureds on illegal immigration. Neither study was worth the paper they used for printing.
CIS is a hack group. Unfortunately, groups like this get invited to testify before Congress. The dumbing down of America…
August 13th, 2008 at 8:02 pmNeither Krikorian nor Chertoff sound like true American surnames.
Could these two be descendants of -gasp!- immigrants?
Oh, the irony…
August 13th, 2008 at 8:50 pmChertoff has dual citizenship, American and Israeli.
August 13th, 2008 at 11:30 pmThe migrants of the First World are those whose cuntries in the third World have been invaded, occupied and exploited, and econumicaly destroyed by the former. It is the “invasion” of the “invaded”.
August 13th, 2008 at 11:32 pmI meant economicaly exployted. Miss typed! Sorry1
August 13th, 2008 at 11:33 pm.
We do realize that the Nazi’s blamed the Jews for the perceived problems of Europe…
… Just like the NoeClowns blame the “brown skin” immigrants for the perceived problems here.
… NO?
.
August 14th, 2008 at 12:55 amWe should all worry more about the microbial “illegals” which encouraged by a climate influx and modern travel realities are expanding their ranges. Ah the joy of self replicating molecules…
August 14th, 2008 at 1:03 amI bet those “illegals” are to blame for the hate group’s erectile dysfunction problems too, eh?
August 14th, 2008 at 1:10 amDaryll Says:
They give off other gases besides greenhouse.
I guess in the same way YOU emit noxious stupidity and racist idiocy waves. You do understand you are a disgustingly stupid individual dont you? I mean this isnt news to you is it?
August 14th, 2008 at 4:56 amLou Dobbs must be loving this…Leprosy,CO2,litter,
OH MY!!
I frankly am insulted that they actually expected
us to believe this report?
Where do these people get their ideas from?
A Hate Hat filled with moronic ideas?They pull one out each week and then expand upon it I guess.
Maybe they pull them out of the ass of the GOP Elephant.
August 15th, 2008 at 10:15 amI hate to disagree with my fellow progressives, but facts are facts. Not only is it is true that immigration increases the U.S. population, it is the main cause of the increase.
Second, it is also true that when somebody comes from a country that uses little CO2 per person, comes here, and adopts our lifestyle, the world’s emission of CO2 increases.
This is just simple logic and mathematics.
Let’s not let ideology get in the way of logical reasoning, like right-wingers do.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:11 pmLets see my choice is John McCain or that smart black man Barack Obama?
McCain who does not know how to use a computer but is willing to learn if we elect him – I’ll just vote for that smart black man.
My Choices are: John McCain who says the economic downturn is psychological? – Na! I’ll vote for the smart black man.
McCain who says you are better off under George Bush? – Nope I’ll vote for the smart black man.
Mc Cain who wants to continue killing more people looking for weapons of mass destruction that do not exist? – Gee! I’ll vote for the smart black man.
McCain who believes that we should stay the course but is not willing to support the people he puts in harms way. – I’ll take a chance on the smart black man.
Should I vote for a man that does not know that 9-11 was caused by Osama Bin Laden not Sedam Hussein? – Easy! I’ll vote for the smart black man.
Vote for the man who does not know if the Sunnis or Sheits are our enemies? – No way I’ll vote for the smart black man.
Vote for the man who helped put our government on the China, Saudi Arabia credit card? – Not a chance I’ll vote for the smart black man.
Vote for the man with the worst temper in the Senate to have his finger on the nuclear button? – No way – I’ll vote for the smart black man.
August 15th, 2008 at 8:26 pmJust like the cold war when everyone who didn’t agree with the U.S. was either a communist or a communist sympathizer. toki This poor crazy guy spent half a decade being tortured because a bunch of stupid politicians araç sorgulama were sure the NVA was in bed with the Russians (minimal help) and/or the Chinese (ancient enemy of the vietnamese). ssk sorgulama You would think he would have learned from others’ mistakes. Guess not. Republicans need an enemy. key ödemeleri This century it apparently will be all Muslims, health all of whom must be alQaeda operatives.
March 1st, 2009 at 1:33 pm