What caused millions of Germans to emigrate?

Western media1October 26th reported that US President Trump has repeatedly expressed doubts about global warming. His most famous words and deeds in this regard were tweeting on 20 12 that climate change was a "scam" designed by China people, and pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement in June this year. However, Trump may not know that climate change caused by a natural factor is one of the reasons why 5 million Germans immigrated to the other side of the Atlantic in the19th century. Among these immigrants, there are Trump's ancestors and famous families who later founded business empires, such as nutritious food producer Heinz and Pfizer Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

According to Spain165438+1October 2 1, a study by the University of Freiburg in Germany shows that Germans immigrated to North America not only because Germany was plagued by poverty, war and revolution at that time, but also because of climate change. This immigration tide began at the end of the "Little Ice Age" in the cold period. In this century (19th century), glaciers in the Alps continue to expand, severe winter and hot summer weather continue to appear, and other extreme weather phenomena such as drought and flood appear.

"In short, we found that the climate indirectly caused 20%-30% of immigrants to migrate from southwestern Germany to North America in the19th century," pointed out rudiger Glazer, the main author of the research report.

According to the report, researchers can see the impact of climate change in most major migration flows in southwestern Germany in the19th century. "The knock-on effect is clear: bad weather conditions lead to poor agricultural harvests and rising food prices, which eventually prompt people to emigrate," Glazer pointed out, "but this is only a way of influencing". Studies have shown that climate change affects different migration flows in different ways.

The researchers studied the official statistics, population data, climate data, harvest status and food prices of immigrants in the19th century. They mainly study Baden-Wü rttemberg, the state with the most immigrants, such as Charles Pfizer, one of the founders of Pfizer.

According to the report, the first migration wave occurred after the eruption of Tambora volcano in Indonesia in 18 15. Volcanic ash and gas caused the global temperature to drop in the next few years. 18 16 There is no summer, and it is wet and cold all year round, which leads to crop failure, famine and migration in large areas around the world. 1846 There was another migration peak, which was extremely hot and dry that summer, resulting in poor harvest and rising food prices. In these two immigration waves, climate has the greatest influence, while in other immigration waves, economic prospects, government policies, political struggles, wars and other factors have a greater influence.

According to the report, in recent years, with the increase of extreme weather, climate reasons have once again become the core topic of immigration discussion.