LEGIONS OF THE DISPOSSESSED
Land degradation is creating multitudes of ecomigrants who cross borders and threaten the security of nations
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BY EUGENE LINDEN
Environmental troubles have a way of traveling from one neighborhood to the next. Foul air easily blows across borders, and dirty water moves swiftly downstream. But a true ecological disaster also lets loose a flood of people that can swamp surrounding areas. The late 20th century has seen the revival of a phenomenon common in ancient times: ecomigration. Such forces as land degradation and population pressure have driven migrants from Somalia into Ethiopia, from Ethiopia into Sudan, from Burma into Bangladesh and from Bangladesh into India. As many as 20 million people a year are reluctant nomads, and their ranks could grow much larger. Ecomigration shows how the environment could become an issue not just of national health, but also of national security.
Not necessarily in a military sense: the armies of ecomigrants are composed of prey rather than predators. They are legions of the powerless who run a gauntlet of bandits, con men, police and border guards. Their only weapon is the compassion they can inspire. But they can be as destabilizing as any invading force. The aliens can tax their hosts' economies, straining food supplies and services such as education and medical care. In the past, wild lands and new territories provided what economist Adam Smith called a "vent for surplus" where ecomigrants could settle. The next century's "surplus" must seek refuge in a world where uninhabited lands are few and far between.
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