An unprecedented nearly 5,000 migrants have died at sea in the first five months of 2024 trying to reach the Spanish Canary Islands, according to a report released by migration rights group Walking Borders on Wednesday.

Between Jan. 1 and May 31, 4,808 people died on the Atlantic voyage to the Canaries after departing from Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia, making it the deadliest route between Africa and Spain, with 95% of migrant deaths, according to the group.

Arrivals to the archipelago in that period soared five times to over 16,500 from a year ago, Interior Ministry data showed.

  • jpreston2005@lemmy.worldEnglish
    91·
    15 days ago

    Climate change driving entire populations to migrate is going to prove disastrous over our lifetime. Already we’re seeing voters turn to the far-right in response to rising immigration rates, and I fear it will get worse before it gets better. It’s real easy for bad faith politicians to take all the legitimate grievances of the working class, and then blame it all on migrants. We’ve seen it time and again in the United States, and no matter how often they do it, they still find traction among their voter base.

    Just gonna put this here: Immigrants Make Economies More Dynamic, Increase Employment Growth

    • whoisearth@lemmy.caEnglish
      4·
      14 days ago

      11 years old at this point

      https://youtu.be/RK5l_0bm6ko

      It’s gonna get real scary. Military is watching climate change like a hawk. It’s real and what you said is going to lead to insane destabilizing factors we aren’t prepared for.

      • nxdefiant@startrek.websiteEnglish
        2·
        15 days ago

        Senegalese refugees comprise the bulk of the migrants, and all sorts of things like drought and commodity prices (due to the invasion Ukraine among other things) are driving their economy into the ground. In the end, climate change is definitely a non negligible component of the problem which is only going to get worse.