Looking at the news these days, one has to wonder whether or not the world is ending. The planet is tormented by floods, wildfires, famine, war and what not. All of that while we’re still somewhere in the middle of a pandemic, which has made the lives of many families across the world even more difficult over the last year and a half. The situation certainly isn’t reassuring and if you’re scared, believe us, you’re not the only one. So maybe it’s time to start thinking about what you’d do if this really were the end of the world?
Everyone has different ways to deal with difficult situations. Some prefer to act as if nothing were wrong. To stick their head in the ground like an ostrich, if you want. Maybe not the best way to survive but, as they say, you do you. If neglecting the problem makes you happy, go on. Others, however, prefer to take action. Yet there are endless ways to do so. Maybe you go volunteering when a disaster has happened. Maybe you get obsessed about recycling and lowering your ecological footprint. Maybe you go to the supermarket to stock up on essentials until you’ve got no space left to put anything. Or maybe you start wondering whether or not you’re living in the right country.
Because yes, according to scientists there are countries in which you’re more likely to survive the end of the world. A study published in the scientific journal Sustainability states human civilization is “in a perilous state”, which has a lot to do with our highly interconnected and energy-intensive society. A so-called Apocalypse could be triggered by one of multiple factors, going from a financial crisis to a pandemic or climate change.
Islands for the win
“We chose that you had to be able to protect borders and places had to be temperate. So with hindsight it’s quite obvious that large islands with complex societies on them already [make up the list]”, says Aled Jones, one of the authors of the study. And as international billionaires are already building bunkers on New Zealand, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the island comes in first.
1. New Zealand
2. Iceland
3. United Kingdom
4. Tasmania
5. Ireland
Of course, it’s not sure the end of the world will come anytime soon. “We need to start thinking about resilience much more in global planning. But obviously, the ideal thing is that a quick collapse doesn’t happen”, states Jones. Yet if you want to be on the safe side, you better start moving…
