From what I see, lots of people in Germany understand that some countries will be hit hard by climate change. The key issue is that they don't care, and instead of stopping climate change their solution to this is to shut the borders and let no one in. These people are so resistant to changing their way of life, they'd happily trade people's lives for it.

That's because when right-wing politicians get into power, the first thing out the window is education and critical thinking. You can't have a population that thinks too much because they're harder to control.

Right-wing media has really done a number on critical thinking.

Correlation is not cause and effect.

It's more likely that the lack of critical thinking was there in the first place and served as the soil for right wing media to sink its roots into.

I came to say this exactly. Also I just realized that I would love to move to a beautiful beach area in one of the Pacific facing tropical countries....places where poor people migrate away from.... Does that make sense? That having money protects you from climate change? If basically a middle class person from the US can be rich in these poor countries, does that mean that they are less affected? You can afford fruits and vegetables if you have money? What if more rich assholes move into the area? Do they also get to still afford fresh bananas, and strawberries? Something tells me that they would quickly saturate the area like here in Seattle where every event seems to be packed to the brim with people. There's just a packet room no matter what you choose to do. Hiking? Shoulder to shoulder. Swimming? Sardines in a can. Etc.

It does. We really need positive propaganda. Dupe everyone into thinking that climate change is real, we have to do something now, doubling down on renewable and sustainable resources is required, etc. I’d love to brainwash everyone into believing that public education needs more funds and resources. Or that rivers and lakes shouldn’t be polluted.

That is pretty genius for sure but I think the issue is that these people think that once shit hits the fan they will be able to stop the desperate masses at their border by legalisation or whatever.

I mostly agree with your conclusion, but this is a very american (I.e. ignorant) response to her concern and i am not surprised she wasnt receptive. I think you underestimate the difference between a country like yours (which has always been a 'salad bowl' of cultures united by a commitment to liberalism) and mine (Germany, which is essentially a big tribe of tribes). This difference is even more stark if you look at a place like Denmark.

Here are a few of your points that gave me this impression:

Germany is actually younger than the US

Her concern is (to me) obviously independent of the state we happen to live under. Germaneness is not tied to a political entity. East Germans were German, Volga Germans are German and the German speaking people under the hre were German. ("German" Americans are not German btw.) This also makes your comment about

Her mom was an East German and described to us how they had an entirely separate culture

baffling (to me).

US culture has, ... tangibly benefitted from immigration over the centuries.

The us is in many ways a much worse country than Germany (or almost any EU country). I don't see why we should strive to emulate that model.

Unfortunately we do have such narrow minded people in Germany. Even sadder they apply this mindset onto their kids

Culture is identity. Isn't that obvious from looking at different people all over the world? It is true, there is a clash of cultures because everyone is proud of their identity. Nationalism is extremely powerful because it is human instinct to look upon kinship. Humans are social animals.

And Germany's population, and with that the economy, would start shrinking without immigration. That's what a fertility rate of 1.7 gets you. Things would go downhill fast enough.

There’s always hardship when a new group of people arrive, but over time you usually end up with something that’s better than what you had before if you can learn to embrace it. US culture has, in spite of our issues with racism, tangibly benefitted from immigration over the centuries.

Now tell that to the native americans and see how well they take it.

Yeah .. that is one way to look at it. But the experience of a lot of people out in the world is that migrants who lived their formative years in dog eat dog situations have a different way of dealing with the world.. and that shit is also scary.

I have encountered kids as young as 12 with machetes on a chain around their neck under their shirt.. like what the fu..

Wind turbans.

Until hundreds of thousands of climate refugees from around the equator start to show up...

Ukrainian refugees are causing kinda the same backlash at the moment.

I'm a German and I don't really notice much of it. The region I'm in already has quite a lot of people that aren't "traditionally German" and behave differently and speak languages other than German in public, it can be a little weird or unsettling sometimes, but many of them have good reasons sto stay here and immigration benefits society in the end I believe, also what is normal anyways. Maybe I just don't worry about it as many others in our nation apperently do?