Australia, NZ Are in Good Shape to Survive Apocalypse

Food self-sufficiency, location are important factors, researchers say
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 9, 2023 6:50 PM CST
Australia, NZ Are in Good Shape to Survive Apocalypse
Apocalypse? No worries, mate.   (Getty Images/MP)

If the world goes to hell, the best place to be might be Down Under, researchers say. According to a study published in the journal Risk Analysis, Australia and New Zealand are among the places where people would be most likely to survive a nuclear winter or a similar abrupt "sunlight-reducing catastrophe" like a massive volcanic eruption or nuclear strike. Researchers say the two countries came on top in a study of 13 island nations that looked at factors including food and energy self-sufficiency, the Guardian reports. "Australia’s food supply buffer is gigantic with potential to feed many tens of millions of extra people," researchers wrote.

Australia also has strong health security and robust infrastructure on its side, news.com.au reports. New Zealand also scored high marks for food self-sufficiency, though it "imports many essential commodities," including chemicals, making it vulnerable to supply chain disruption—or, in a worst-case scenario, supply chain obliteration. Both nations and others in the region, including the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, were seen as good candidates for post-nuclear apocalypse survival, as the majority of nuclear strikes would likely happen in the northern hemisphere. Australia, however, might still be a target due to its alliance with the US and its US-aligned intelligence stations, researchers wrote.

A long way to the north of the Antipodean nations, Iceland may be more likely than its neighbors in mainland Europe to survive a nuclear winter because of factors including its ample supply of fish and hydroelectric energy, researchers said. "With a small economy, Iceland would likely suffer from a lack of imported commodities and infrastructure degradation," researchers wrote. "However, it may have access to North America, United Kingdom, and Europe, if some of these countries are not completely devastated by war, famine, or social collapse." (More Australia stories.)

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