The plague of people started some years ago and will sadly continue until we have eaten, and starved, ourselves out of house and home.
Literally.

No. The refugee “crisis” is not dying down. Crooks will continue to exploit the weakness of the West as they have ever since they started using warfare in their own countries – never a legitimate reason for seeking asylum in the Convention – and inserting their useless, welfare-dependent selves into Western countries. They all come from Donald Trump's shithole countries, and will continue to do so as long as they can get away with it.

Nobody has been “forced to flee Syria”, or there would be no people left in that shithole. Most Syrians, irrespective of the conditions in their country have managed to survive and live some sort of life where they were born and where they should stay. The same applies to Iraq, Afghanistan and before that, Vietnam. It is only the users who become 'refugees' (read economic migrants seeking Western welfare). Most people stick to their countries through instinct and because it is the natural thing to do.

The African countries mentioned are mostly Muslim, so there is no nope for them. There are lots of books written by scholars showing that Africa is hopeless and should have been left to its own devices long, long ago. Australia has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Africans are not suited to the West.

 The 'developed world' is (already being) flooded with unwanted, uneducated, unskilled people who will eventually destroy our societies”. Unless we can convince the bozos supposed to be protecting Australia of this, it will continue until there is no developed world left.

Everything eventually ends at the lowest common denominator.
Free energy and all that......

There's only one way to figure it, that is, “every man for himself”:

It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world!

It seems there are many aid programs for starving African children. And those heartbreaking commercials for aid have been going on for 20+ years. The issue I see is that those same aid programs are continuing with no known progress. If we used our aid programs to build infrastructure and education then the money can be put to good use. People would move out of being third world nations to being in a better state. Even with war and corruption, their people would have more to stay for and not leave.

There is Doctors Without Borders. There could also be something like that in other fields. Bridges without borders for engineers. Plumbers without borders. Contractors with the money to be charitable to have an aid program for their training to follow their good will. There is that kind of action used for disaster relief. Imagine if that spirit of good will was applied in this way too.

I have observed 2 types of immigrants here. One contribute, are grateful and are often Christians. On the other hand we have ungrateful, bludging groups who despise our laws and suck every cent they can from the taxpayer. The regressives and refugee lobby groups seem far more interested in supporting the latter. We need to discriminate and only allow the first group.

Part of this has to do with the ravages of climate change and the consequent desertification of increasing areas.

Agree that high literacy rate among women, reduces/stabilises populations. But even then, there will be millions of drought and desertification refugees.

Simpletons with ultra simple and usually unworkable solutions, will fill the media with noise. Drowning out other saner voices with real workable solutions.

While it's only women who get pregnant, it's men and only men who make them pregnant!

And to quote my sainted Mum, a standing prick has no conscience!

Pool aid? Presumably given to NGOs working independently of corrupt governments/officialdom.

Help enough of the poor people and the government will fall to the power of their own deprived people!

In any case, should such an event threaten or occur? Funds can be frozen by donor countries to ensure tinpot tyrants don't get their hands on it. And without exception!

The rest? Donated, installed and remaining the legal property of the donor countries, power plants producing energy cheap enough to power all manner of cottageindustry/startup co-ops and vast desalination water projets.

All that makes a desert, a desert, is lack of reliable water!

Add water and sustainable food production can begin where potential refugees are now. Pick and chose governments not yet hopelessly corrupt and let them know full bellies and increasing levels of prosperity, are the only real way to hold on to power for a very long time and produce an increasing tax revenue base, as practical experience.

Others will see the evidence of their own eyes and understand this is the only way forward! Anything can be destroyed, should any miscreant decide to "acquire" other folk's property, preferably while he and his minions are standing in it?

Give man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach to fish and you feed him and his family forever!
Alan B.

Very little goodwill here!

Plenty of conditioned, salavating pavlov dog, rabid raging and trying to put what I might say? As if it where the same rubbish most these allegedly inteligent normal human beings contribute, sometimes by replying/verballing, howling, growling in advance, before I've actually written anything!
Alan B.

Great article, Ive been saying for a long time the big white elephant in the
Room at the United Nations is the overpopulation.
Its also responsible for the clearing of the forest so that all those people can use fire
to cook a meal everyday. Id say the clearing of the trees has a lot to do with the
Droughts in Africa. But of course the global warmists, don’t want to hear that
It doesn’t fit their political agenda that global warming should be used as a stick to punish
wealthy, well run countries.

Whilst the overpopulated muslim and black countries blame Western countries for their
failed countries. It should be pointed out to them, that they need to use all foreign aid to set up as many medical clinics providing contraception as well as medical aid to every town and tribal village that they can. It should have been done decades ago but it can still turn the overpopulation, causing poverty, war, drought and famine around.
China did it with their one child policy.

Its time the male leaders in the United Nations, stopped shifting the blame onto Western, European countries. And its time silly, western hippie, communist, ideology driven believers, stopped believing it is the fault of Western countries also. Because frankly, it isnt.

Male leaders in hellhole countries, its time you took responsibility.

The pope who also presides over the catholic religion, with its non contraception policies,
Which they wouldn’t even set aside to prevent aids, is busy blaming Western and European countries too. Shame on him. Now he is a TRUE populist, because he tells his overpopulated followers what they want to hear, to make himself popular.

Regrettably a sensible article on population and migration has once again brought forth some rabid comments from right-wing commenters who offer no solutions.

In response, I'd like to record that I basically agree with you, Guy; though I wouldn't devote the whole of aid program to population restraint.

Your comment about stopping the boats is very apt. At present, this policy only works because of the relatively small number of boats. What happens when rising sea levels make much of Asia's coastline uninhabitable?

A factor not covered by the article is the disturbing trend of dictatorships now using forced migration as a weapon of control. Whether it is by making normal life untenable (Syria) or by direct attack (Burma), it is an effective policy, but only because those adversely affected are letting them get away with it.

From a defence point of view, we should be intervening to stop them. This is where I usually part company with those (like me) who are sympathetic to refugees. Too few people realise that protecting the vulnerable sometimes requires violent action to be taken against their tormentors.

"What happens when rising sea levels make much of Asia's coastline uninhabitable?"

Save us from Left wing crackpots and catastrophe conspirators like this one!

Linking the education of women to reductions in population growth is like linking construction of McDonald's Restaurants to a reduction in famine.

They (female education and reduced population growth) are symptoms of the same thing ie increased economic wealth. As a society increases its economic well-being, populations pressures decline. Its happened everywhere and every time a nations economy takes off. A society wealthy enough to educate its women is one wealthy enough that the need to have large families declines. But its the wealth that caused both.

So putting money into women's education misses the point. Worthy as it may be, if the aim is to reduce population growth, the path is to encourage good economic policies. A Nigeria with the economic policies of a South Korea is a Nigeria that has solved its population problems. That's where the efforts need to be directed.

It won't be because there's no money in it for NGO's and none of the warm inner-glow that the foreign aid industry craves.

As to how we deal with the purported economic refugee avalanche, well the solution is already there. As long as we hold our nerve and refuse to allow the fake compassion of the migrant advocates to weaken our resolve, we are able to hold back any number of refugee boats that might want to infect our shores.

I suspect we will hold our nerve because the alternative is the utter destruction of our society as we know it.

________________________________________________________________

Two tangential points. The warnings from the IPCC are based on economic forecasts that predict that Nigeria in 2100 will be twice as wealth per capita as the USA was in 2000. So if you believe the IPCC predictions, population problem has already been resolved.

" rising sea levels make much of Asia's coastline uninhabitable"

A new paper has found that coastal land areas have INCREASED in the past 30 years:

Here's the paper - http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v6/n9/full/nclimate3111.html

BBC summary - http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37187100

"to the scientists surprise, coastlines had gained more land - 33,700 sq km than they had been lost to water (20,100 sq km). "

Any aid sent to these garbage countries is totally counter productive. These people have breed so prolifically with our aid & medical support they have totally exceeded the carrying capacity of the country.

Any that gets past the ruling bunch & actually feeds the population, merely increasers their level of health to where they can continue breeding, & overwhelming their environment.

Infact our aid is fuelling the flood of illegal migration, by helping increase the overpopulation of Trumps sh*oles.

Also Auckland Uni's Coastal Institute shows that 60% of Pacific
Islands have grown larger since the late 1940s.
So much for rising sea levels.

The forecast of one billion Africans heading for Europe would have to
mean a slaughter on a scale never seen in history.

Agriculturists have confirmed that the Nile can support 40 million.
Now how can Egypt support the present 85 million ?

Mirrors!

It makes a lot of sense to encourage the sub-Saharan African countries to reduce population growth. Any methods possible will be useful. It isn't true that economic growth must precede reductions in population. Often population stabilisation and economic growth have progressed at the same time. China and the Indian state of Kerala as mentioned in the article are 2 examples and there are more. (Population, poverty and economic development, Steven W Sinding) (also see Jane O'Sullivan)

It is hard to believe that Sub-Saharan African countries would take advice on limiting their population growth rates from Australia, while Australia continues to use every effort to increase its population. If we want other countries to start limiting their population growth we need to start by limiting ours. Secondly, when the flood of refugees starts we can say we have a long standing policy of limiting our population growth that is why we are "stopping the boats."

Well done Guy Hallowes.

Just some corrections regarding the article on population growth. None of the African countries mentioned in the article are Moslem. While that all have minority Moslem populations they are all Christian or practice traditional beliefs. I have lived in Kenya, Botswana and South Africa and am well acquainted with Zimbabwe.

The education OF Women is one avenue that will reduce population growth. Presumably other commentators have their own suggestions.

'If one examines our own situation here in Australia the population has grown from 16 million to 24 million in the same 30 years (i.e. a growth of 50%).'

The definition of the 'nebulous' NOM was quietly changed by the UN Population Council in 2006 hence inflated headline figures representing increased temporary churnover, mostly international students. Focus upon increased movements ignores increased longevity and a coming death bust.

Comparing Australia's population growth with other nations using different measurements is invalid, or comparing apples with oranges; statistics 101.

Further, the late Prof. Hans Rosling, development expert, medico and statistician explained well, it's an issue of management, etc. with only sub-Saharan Africa having significant population growth now and in future https://www.gapminder.org/videos/dont-panic-the-facts-about-population/

Europe's population will be falling off a cliff, for now it's mostly working age population, needed to support the tax base for increasing population in pensioner cohorts ie. declining worker to pensioner ratios; if you want to buy or rent your own deserted village...

If one looks into the foundation of the UN in NY Post WWII, the Population Council and it's 'sustainability' PR, it smells of old fossil fuel and related oligarchs and Darwin's cousin Galton.