Where are humanity's chances of surviving a global catastrophe such as a nuclear winter, infrastructure destruction, or a deadly pandemic greatest?
An international team of scientists, led by ecologist Florian Jahn of the University of Hagen in Germany, identified the countries most resilient. The findings were published in the journal Global Challenges.
The winning country, according to scientists, is Australia, as the continent's largest country is easily able to "close" its borders during pandemics, is self-sufficient in food, and is rich in resources and industry. However, its weakness lies in its dependence on imported fuel and medicine.
The list also included New Zealand , Japan , Switzerland , and Argentina , but each has its own weaknesses.
The authors argue that this classification is not necessary for the "escape of the elites," but rather to create supportive anchorage sites: such as seed banks, food stockpiles, and centers that assist in the post-crisis recovery process.
The study's authors divided global threats into three main groups:
1. A sharp decrease in sunlight : “nuclear winter” scenarios, or dust emissions resulting from asteroid impacts, or massive volcanic eruptions that block photosynthesis.
2. Catastrophic loss of infrastructure : widespread disruption of electrical grids, transportation, and communications due to geomagnetic storms, electromagnec pulses, or cyberattacks.
Biological hazards : Large-scale pandemics of natural or artificial origin, causing mass deaths and the breakdown of social institutions.
After studying societies' ability to maintain their basic functions and provide resources for their populations, scientists established criteria for maximum resilience to disasters. The most disaster-prepared countries were found to be wealthy nations with low levels of social inequality, advanced industries, strong agricultural sectors, energy independence, and geographic isolation.
Based on all factors, Australia consistently ranked first. As an island continent, it can easily close its borders during pandemics. It produces vast quantities of food, possesses enormous reserves of valuable minerals, and has a highly developed industrial sector.
