Study: New Zealand hailed as the 'best country to survive global collapse'

According to a new study, New Zealand has been hailed as the best country to survive a global collapse of human civilization, among 5 other major countries. Researchers mentioned that it comes as no surprise that the country is preferred by billionaires to buy land for bunkers in the anticipation of an apocalypse. Apart from New Zealand, other places ranked highly to overcome a global collapse are Iceland, the UK, Tasmania, and Ireland. New Zealand's top position comes owing to its great potential when it comes to geothermal and hydroelectric energy, abundant agricultural land, and low population density.

New Zealand is most likely to survive an apocalyptic situation 

In the study published in the Sustainability journal, researchers mentioned that humankind is "in a perilous state" owing to the highly interconnected and energy-intensive society that has been built leading to extensive environmental damages arising from it. Describing the various kind of collapses, the researchers mentioned that the shocks could accrue to a severe financial crisis, the impacts of the climate crisis, destruction of nature, and an even worse pandemic than COVID-19 or a combination of these. 

Countries were ranked based on certain aspects, namely; their ability to grow food for their population, protect their borders from unwanted mass migration and maintain an electrical grid, and some manufacturing ability. Post the research, it was found that islands in temperate regions and mostly with low population densities came out shining. The study drew out the conclusion that nations need to increase their resilience. They mentioned that a 'globalised society that prized economic efficiency would cause setbacks' adding that 'spare capacity was needed in food and other vital sectors'.

New Zealand's listing didn't come as surprise: UK Professor 

Professor Aled Jones of Anglia Ruskin University in the UK said that New Zealand topping the list didn't come as any surprise and mentioned that they were looking at a country with the capability to protect its borders with a temperate climate. So it became obvious that 'large islands with complex societies on them' would make the cut. 

Adding about the UK making a mark, she said it surprised them considering it is densely populated, has traditionally outsourced manufacturing, hasn't been the quickest to develop renewable technology, and only produces 50 percent of its own food. However, she said it had the 'potential to withstand shocks'.

The study has been published in Sustainability journal which states places that didn't suffer the most egregious effects of societal collapses and are therefore able to maintain significant populations" have been described as "collapse lifeboats". Mentioning about 'building back' from the pandemic, Jones said the coronavirus pandemic had shown that governments could act quickly when needed. She added that it is interesting to see how quickly governments can shut down their borders and make decisions to change things. 

Lastly, reiterating the importance of being able to respond to shocks, she said that one needs to think about resilience way more in global planning mentioning that thankfully a quick collapse never happens in an ideal situation. 

(Source- Sustainability Journal)

(Image- Unsplash)