New Zealand is the place to survive a global societal collapse: study

New Zealand has been named the most suitable place to survive the global collapse of society. Other countries to make it to the list are Iceland, the UK, Ireland, and Tasmania. Researchers are calling them "collapse lifeboats".

Researchers noted that collapse will come from shocks like severe financial crises, impacts of the climate crisis, destruction of nature, and worse pandemics than Covid-19.

Experts assessed each nation's ability to grow their own food, protect borders from unwanted mass migration, maintain an electrical grid, and manufacturing ability. These factors give islands in temperate regions a significant advantage. Low population density also puts them on top, reported The Guardian.

Prof Aled Jones of the Global Sustainability Institute, at Anglia Ruskin University, in the UK said that they were not surprised to find New Zealand on their list. Large islands with complex societies naturally made up the list.

Geothermal and hydroelectric energy, abundant agricultural land, and low human population density have put New Zealand most likely to survive a collapse. Billionaires have been reported buying land in New Zealand to build bunkers to prepare for an apocalypse.

Jonas added that the team was surprised to find the UK on the list because it is densely populated and hasn't been the quickest to develop renewable technology. The country has also traditionally outsourced manufacturing.

The study says that human civilisation is "in a perilous state" due to the highly interconnected and energy-intensive society and the environmental damage it is causing. The risks are growing in multiple spheres of human endeavour. The findings suggest that nations must improve their resilience and capacity in vital sectors.

Jonas noted that humans are lucky that global food losses, a financial crisis, and a pandemic did not happen at the same time because they all have been happening in the past few years. He pointed out that there is no reason why they cannot happen in the same year.

The study is published in the journal Sustainability.