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Dan Ehrlich

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Lebensraum Needed for Israel’s Exploding Population

DEC 4, 

2024, 4:27 

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Israel’s population is projected to grow to 11.1 million by 2030, 13.2 million by 2040, and 15.2 million by 2048. That’s why hanging on to the West Bank is such a contentious issue…’lebensraum.’

These people need places to live in a nation short of land mass. Compare Israel to its neighbor Jordan, which has a smaller population, yet about five times the land area. If Israel is to maintain its agricultrural industry its exploding population will to grow up, in high rise apartment complexes, as well as out, possibly into Judea and Samaria.

The world, now bulging with 8 billion people, is on the verge of a demographic time bomb being spawned by climate change, drought, wars, and poverty.

The UN estimates there may be as many as 220 million migrants from the effects of climate change by 2050. That’s why climate induced immigration featured at the recent COP29 meet .

Countless numbers of desperate people from hard-hit Third World nations are migrating to the European Union and North America. Where they are not going is Russia. The world’s largest single national land mass remains largely devoid of people.

There’s irony in Putin’s Ukraine war. If the dictator wasn’t so intent on pointlessly expanding Russia’s 11-time-zone border, his nation might have had a rosy future as the world’s new breadbasket, enabling it to exert commercial and political pressure on much of his adversaries who are, or will be, grappling with critical natural resource shortages.

As it now stands, Russia will remain a pariah rogue state for some time to come, feared but unloved in a state limbo.

But the case of Russia offers a prime example of the state of world migration, with most migrants heading to a few wealthy and densely populated nations.

The world may now be bursting with 8 billion people, but what Russia lacks is people. Its 145 million population is declining. The national birthrate is stagnant. The war has also created an exodus of Russians either against the war or fearful of it. To top this off the pandemic has killed as many as 500,000 there. The actual count is hard to calculate.

According to the most pessimistic scenarios, Russia estimates its population might drop by 12 million in the next 15 years. And even the most optimistic forecasts say that death rates will still exceed birth rates in 2035, although the gap might narrow significantly. So, Russia may depend on migrants to cover population losses no matter which scenario comes into play.

The US says more than a million Ukrainians have been forcibly taken to Russia. The fact is Putin needs people to populate the world’s largest nation. And kidnapping more than a million Ukrainians is a start.

But Russia’s low population density, only nine people per square kilometer, 199th place of 213 nations, is a blessing and a curse. The curse is not having enough workers to man any future growing consumer society, something that hasn’t been a priority for Putin’s 22-year reign.

By comparison, St. Kitts and Nevis, the smallest nation in the Americas,  is ranked 64th in the world with 206 people per square kilometer, the US, ranked 161, has only 36 people, and the UK, ranked 43, has 278 people per square kilometer.

On the other hand, Russia’s blessing is not having the situation the West has with countless Third World immigrants flooding in and helping to use up finite natural resources, forcing nations to import basic goods from other countries…countries such as Russia.

Like it or not, there are limits on how many immigrants can be accepted by wealthy western nations at any one time before living standards in these countries are adversely impacted both economically and environm

For example, in just nine months 0f 2022 42,000 undocumented immigrants crossed the English Channel for a safe harbor in the UK. And daily, even during bad weather, scores of migrants and asylum seekers attempt the dangerous channel crossing in small boats supplied by criminal gangs.

Look at the USA. Following World War 2 its population stood at 150 million. Living for most Americans was a comfortable middle-class experience. Public utilities, gas, and even food were dirt cheap. Yet, today the population is 338 million and climbing; now with a declining middle class and the biggest gap between wealthy and poor citizens in the developed world.

This is no longer just a matter of jobs for people. There’s plenty of work available in the US and UK for new arrivals.

If this past summer is a hint at the new normal, water shortages amid extreme heat waves along with power cuts will mean a comfortable life only for those who can afford it. And one world leader predicts a doomsday scenario if the First World doesn’t look after the Third World.

Rich countries must sign a “historic pact” with the poor on the climate, or “we will be doomed”, the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, has warned during the COP27 climate meet, as a deepening gulf between the developed and developing world has put climate talks on the brink.

Cop29 took place amid the worst geopolitical tensions for years, over the Ukraine and Gaza wars, a spiraling global cost of living crisis, and deepening economic gloom.

But the gulf must be bridged if humanity is to have a hope of avoiding the worst ravages of climate breakdown, Guterres said.

There is no way we can avoid a catastrophic situation if the two [the developed and developing world] are not able to establish a historic pact,” he told the Guardian in an interview on the eve of the summit. “Because at the present level, we will be doomed.”

With environmental and climate issues now center stage, the world population is also a key issue. Yet COP27 didn’t address world population growth and immigration.

Russia’s small population gives it an environmental edge. By land area vs. its population and richness of terrain, Russia has more available natural resources than most western nations. This could be one of its aces for decades to come.

America used to be the world’s breadbasket…Its vast agricultural lands produced food for itself and the world. But, rapid growth has led to uncontrolled urbanization in some areas, which has produced overcrowding, destitution, crime, pollution, and political turmoil. Rapid growth has outstripped increases in food production, and population pressure has led to the overuse of arable land and its destruction.

Asked whether or not the growing world population will be a major problem, 59% of Americans agreed it will strain the planet’s natural resources, while 82% of U.S.-based members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science said the same. Just 17% of AAAS scientists and 38% of Americans said population growth won’t be a problem because we will find a way to stretch natural resources.

The very real fact of life is having unlimited multitudes of people migrating to areas of finite resources will only create more human sorrow ending in hostility.

Migrants need to go where there is plenty of room, a growing economy and a need for people. No, it’s not just the USA. It’s Canada with only 4 people per sq.k., Australia (3 people per sq. k.), and Russia (9 people per sq.k).

Russia’s land mass is almost as large as all of North America. But its manpower shortage means it hasn’t been too difficult to convince Putin to open its borders to immigrants from areas other than former Soviet republics, from where most of Russia’s recent migrants have originated.

In April 2020, Putin signed a dual-citizenship law that estimates suggest will attract up to 10 million new citizens. Why? Putin has made reversing Russia’s demographic crisis a major priority.

Canada has been more welcoming to immigrants than the US. Its low population density along with a First World economy makes it a good landing pad for immigrants. Under its Immigration Levels Plan, Canada is now looking to welcome over 460,000 new immigrants each year, which is the highest level in its history.

Canada’s immigration goals are to strengthen the economy, reunite families, and help refugees.

But for most immigrants the difficult part is getting to Canada, having to traverse the US from being stuck at the Mexican border.U.S. immigration law is based on the following principles: The reunification of families, admitting immigrants with skills that are valuable to the U.S. economy, protecting refugees, and promoting diversity.

Amid a record number of  2 million migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022, President Joe Biden reinstated in December 2021 a Trump-era policy that requires those who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border and seek asylum to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed.

Biden had earlier ended the Migration Protection Protocols, or “Remain in Mexico” policy, and then restarted it after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lawsuit by Texas and Missouri that challenged the program’s closure.

Asylum seekers do not receive legal status that allows them to live and work in the U.S. until the claim is approved. Overall, more than 40 million lawful immigrants live in the U.S.; most are American citizens.

Australia is raising its cap on permanent migration for the first time in a decade to help fill massive workforce shortages.It will take up to 195,000 people this financial year – an increase of 35,000.

The pandemic and Australia’s tough border policies have exacerbated staffing gaps in many sectors.Workers from countries including China, India, and the UK – Australia’s top sources of migration – are needed to fill them, the government says.

There are more than 480,000 job vacancies across the country, but with unemployment at an almost 50-year low, employers are struggling to fill the gaps.However, this still doesn’t solve the problem of too many migrants or asylum seekers pouring into a particular country, when they might be needed and more welcome at other nations.

In past generations, New York’s Ellis Island was the main immigration portal for America, not today’s chaotic Mexican border. The idea of leapfrogging any number of countries to get the US or the UK wasn’t the norm as it seems today.

Asylum seekers are supposed to seek refuge is the first safe nation that will have them. It has become obvious that many so-called asylum seekers are really just economic migrants seeking a better life in a particular country.

Order needs to be restored from this international chaos because mass migration of people will only increase as the world population increases and natural resources decrease.

One idea is for the United Nations to create immigration centers around the world where migrants, both economic and asylum seekers, would be gathered together in temporary refuges until they could be placed in countries that wanted or needed them.

This hopefully would curtail having only a select few destinations where most migrants attempt to enter. These centers would operate similarly to employment agencies, offering immigrants placement in countries where they can earn a living and have a safe haven. Yet this is only one idea.

It doesn’t tackle the root causes of migration….climate-related drought, famine, and poverty; as well as lawless gang-controlled countries where innocent people are forced to seek better and safer lives elsewhere.

WORLD POPULATION DENSITIES

Rank	Country	Density per sq. kilometer	2022 Population
1	Macau	20,012	695,168
2	Monaco	19,497	36,469
3	Singapore	7,692	5,975,689
4	Hong Kong	7,060	7,488,865
5	Gibraltar	3,369	32,649
6	Bahrain	2,241	1,472,233
7	Maldives	1,812	523,787
8	Malta	1,615	533,286
9	Bangladesh	1,278	171,186,372
10	Sint Maarten	1,260	44,175
11	Bermuda	1,183	64,184
12	Palestine	818	5,250,072
13	Saint Martin	785	31,791
14	Barbados	669	281,635
15	Lebanon	662	5,489,739
16	Mauritius	624	1,299,469
17	Aruba	596	106,445
18	San Marino	567	33,660
19	Nauru	544	12,668
20	Rwanda	538	13,776,698
21	South Korea	531	51,815,810
22	Netherlands	521	17,564,014
23	Burundi	477	12,889,576
24	Comoros	477	836,774
25	India	469	1,417,173,173
26	Israel	433	9,038,309
27	Haiti	419	11,584,996
28	Tuvalu	398	11,312
29	Belgium	383	11,655,930
30	Philippines	372	115,559,009
31	Puerto Rico	368	3,252,407
32	Sri Lanka	358	21,832,143
33	Japan	345	123,951,692
34	Curacao	343	191,163
35	Grenada	332	125,438
36	Marshall Islands	331	41,569
37	Vietnam	317	98,186,856
38	El Salvador	315	6,336,392
39	Guam	315	171,774
40	Saint Lucia	302	179,857
41	Pakistan	292	235,824,862
42	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	285	103,948
43	United Kingdom	278	67,508,936
44	Cayman Islands	277	68,706
45	American Samoa	276	44,273
46	Jamaica	275	2,827,377
47	Trinidad and Tobago	274	1,531,044
48	Luxembourg	263	647,599
49	Qatar	255	2,695,122
50	Gambia	246	2,705,992
51	Kuwait	243	4,268,873
52	Liechtenstein	239	39,327
53	Germany	238	83,369,843
54	Uganda	235	47,249,585
55	Sao Tome and Principe	233	227,380
56	Nigeria	232	218,541,212
57	Dominican Republic	227	11,228,821
58	Antigua and Barbuda	224	93,763
59	Switzerland	220	8,740,472
60	Seychelles	216	107,118
61	North Korea	215	26,069,416
62	Malawi	208	20,405,317
63	Nepal	207	30,547,580
64	Saint Kitts and Nevis	206	47,657
65	British Virgin Islands	203	31,305
66	Italy	198	59,037,474
67	Micronesia	166	114,164
68	Andorra	165	79,824
69	Guatemala	160	17,843,908
70	Togo	156	8,848,699
71	China	150	1,425,887,337
72	Kiribati	150	131,232
73	Isle of Man	150	84,519
74	Tonga	148	106,858
75	Indonesia	147	275,501,339
76	Denmark	146	5,882,261
77	United Arab Emirates	141	9,441,129
78	Ghana	139	33,475,870
79	Czech Republic	139	10,493,986
80	Thailand	137	71,697,030
81	Cyprus	132	1,251,488
82	Northern Mariana Islands	126	49,551
83	France	123	64,626,628
84	Poland	123	39,857,145
85	Azerbaijan	123	10,358,074
86	Jordan	116	11,285,869
87	Sierra Leone	113	8,605,718
88	Slovakia	113	5,643,453
89	Portugal	112	10,270,865
90	Turkey	110	85,341,241
91	Benin	110	13,352,864
92	Cuba	109	11,212,191
93	Austria	109	8,939,617
94	Hungary	106	9,967,308
95	Egypt	105	110,990,103
96	Slovenia	105	2,119,844
97	Ethiopia	104	123,379,924
98	Armenia	104	2,780,469
99	Albania	103	2,842,321
100	Costa Rica	101	5,180,829
101	Malaysia	100	33,938,221
102	Syria	100	22,125,249
103	Kenya	97	54,027,487
104	Cambodia	96	16,767,842
105	Dominica	96	72,737
106	Spain	95	47,558,630
107	Iraq	95	44,496,122
108	Honduras	90	10,432,860
109	Moldova	90	3,272,996
110	Timor Leste	90	1,341,296
111	Senegal	89	17,316,449
112	Ivory Coast	85	28,160,542
113	Myanmar	84	54,179,306
114	Morocco	84	37,457,971
115	Brunei	84	449,002
116	Romania	83	19,659,267
117	Greece	83	10,384,971
118	North Macedonia	82	2,093,599
119	French Polynesia	80	306,279
120	Uzbekistan	79	34,627,652
121	Burkina Faso	79	22,673,762
122	Serbia	78	7,221,365
123	Tunisia	77	12,356,117
124	Ukraine	76	39,701,739
125	Ireland	73	5,023,109
126	Ecuador	72	18,001,000
127	Guinea Bissau	72	2,105,566
128	Lesotho	71	2,305,825
129	Samoa	71	222,382
130	Tajikistan	70	9,952,787
131	Tanzania	69	65,497,748
132	Croatia	69	4,030,358
133	Eswatini	68	1,201,670
134	Mexico	67	127,504,125
135	Georgia	65	3,744,385
136	Bulgaria	64	6,781,953
137	Bosnia and Herzegovina	64	3,233,526
138	Afghanistan	61	41,128,771
139	Panama	59	4,408,581
140	Yemen	58	33,696,614
141	Cameroon	58	27,914,536
142	Nicaragua	56	6,948,392
143	Guinea	55	13,859,341
144	Liberia	54	5,302,681
145	Iran	52	88,550,570
146	Equatorial Guinea	52	1,674,908
147	South Africa	49	59,893,885
148	Madagascar	49	29,611,714
149	Fiji	49	929,766
150	Colombia	46	51,874,024
151	Belarus	46	9,534,954
152	Montenegro	46	627,082
153	Lithuania	45	2,750,055
154	Djibouti	43	1,120,849
155	DR Congo	41	99,010,212
156	Mozambique	41	32,969,518
157	Turks and Caicos Islands	41	45,703
158	Bahamas	40	409,984
159	Palau	40	18,055
160	Zimbabwe	39	16,320,537
161	United States	36	338,289,857
162	Eritrea	36	3,684,032
163	Kyrgyzstan	35	6,630,623
164	Faroe Islands	35	53,090
165	Venezuela	33	28,301,696
166	Laos	32	7,529,475
167	Estonia	31	1,326,062
168	Latvia	30	1,850,651
169	Angola	27	35,588,987
170	Brazil	26	215,313,498
171	Peru	26	34,049,588
172	Chile	26	19,603,733
173	Somalia	26	17,597,511
174	Sweden	26	10,549,347
175	Vanuatu	26	326,740
176	Zambia	25	20,017,675
177	Solomon Islands	25	724,273
178	Sudan	24	46,874,204
179	Niger	20	26,207,977
180	Papua New Guinea	20	10,142,619
181	Uruguay	20	3,422,794
182	Bhutan	20	782,455
183	Algeria	19	44,903,225
184	New Zealand	19	5,185,288
185	South Sudan	18	10,913,164
186	Paraguay	18	6,780,744
187	Finland	18	5,540,745
188	Belize	18	405,272
189	Argentina	17	45,510,318
190	Mali	17	22,593,590
191	Republic of the Congo	17	5,970,424
192	Oman	17	4,576,298
193	Saudi Arabia	16	36,408,820
194	Norway	15	5,434,319
195	New Caledonia	15	289,950
196	Chad	13	17,723,315
197	Turkmenistan	13	6,430,770
198	Bolivia	11	12,224,110
199	Russia	9	144,713,314
200	Gabon	9	2,388,992
201	Central African Republic	8	5,579,144
202	Kazakhstan	7	19,397,998
203	Mauritania	5	4,736,139
204	Canada	4	38,454,327
205	Libya	4	6,812,341
206	Botswana	4	2,630,296
207	Guyana	4	808,726
208	Suriname	4	618,040
209	Iceland	4	372,899
210	Australia	3	26,177,413
211	Namibia	3	2,567,012
212	Mongolia	2	3,398,366
213	Greenland		56,466

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A London based American journalist with a long wide ranging career spanning print, radio TV and online news.