Island nations like Ireland would have the best chance of surviving if there were to be a global breakdown of civilisation.
That is according to a study published in the Journal of Sustainability which suggested an apocalypse could occur ‘within decades’.
The study took place at the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. It examined which nations would be best suited to surviving for themselves if a global breakdown of civilisation were to take place.
Although the idea might seem far-fetched, the researchers pointed out that in recent years there have been food shortages, a financial crisis and a pandemic.
If all those events were to occur at the same time, then the civil relationships between nations would be under strain.
If those relationships were to completely break down then it would likely be every country for themselves.
The study looked at numerous factors for each country to evaluate how they would cope if such an event were to occur.
These included a country’s ability to defend its borders, maintain an electrical grid, grow and produce food, and retain manufacturing capabilities.
The team at Cambridge found that island countries fared best overall in the study.
New Zealand topped the list, with Iceland second, Tasmania third, Ireland in fourth and the UK fifth.
The study stated that the world is in a ‘perilous state’ with ‘growing risks’ to global civilisation.
It noted that the acceleration in growth of population, industry and technology has caused worldwide issues such as global warming.
It read: “The globe-spanning, energy-intensive industrial civilisation that characterises the modern era represents an anomalous situation when it is considered against the majority of human history.
“Human civilisation has undergone a continuous trajectory of rising sociopolitical complexity since its inception; a trend which has undergone a dramatic recent acceleration. This phenomenon has resulted in increasingly severe perturbation of the Earth System, manifesting recently as global-scale effects such as climate change.
“These effects create an increased risk of a global ‘de-complexification’ (collapse) event in which complexity could undergo widespread reversal.”
It is an interesting study and paints a dour picture for the global future. It is nice to think that Ireland would be in a strong position to look after its people if such events were to occur, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.