Current migrant crisis partially caused by climate change
- Matt Hadro
- May 15, 2017
- 1 min read
“Poverty, conflict, unresponsive governments, and climate change are driving millions of people from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia to seek safety and opportunity in Europe,” Bill O’Keefe, vice president of government relations and advocacy for Catholic Relief Services, said in response to continued tragedies involving migrants.
After hundreds more migrants perished last weekend in the deadly Mediterranean passage to Europe, one Catholic expert insisted that the root causes of migration need to be addressed.
“The real tragedy is that these deaths are preventable,” said Bill O’Keefe, vice president of government relations and advocacy for Catholic Relief Services.
“We need to ensure safe passage for all refugees and migrants, but also address the reasons people are migrating in the first place,” he stressed.
The United Nations’ refugee arm reported on Tuesday that 245 were feared dead or missing from two shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea over the weekend, adding to an already steep death toll for migrants headed for Europe from North Africa.
Irish Defense Forces
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