Researchers created a "shortlist" of five nations most likely to survive the apocalypse.
The list includes New Zealand, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland.
Silicon Valley billionaires are already investing in bunkers and doomsday shelters in New Zealand.
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With climate change strengthening its grip on the planet, researchers are searching for the best possible hideout locations post-apocalypse.
Using data from the University of Notre Dame's Global Adaptation Initiative, researchers at Anglia Ruskin University's Global Sustainability Institute in England graded the 20 least vulnerable countries on three main criteria:
Carrying capacity: How much land is being used for farming to sustain the current population? High agricultural land per capita is good.
Isolation: How close is the country to other highly populated areas? Further away is better.
Self-sufficiency: Does the country produce its own renewable energy and have manufacturing capacity? More is better.
Using these parameters, co-authors Nick King and Aled Jones found five locations particularly suited for global collapse, or what they call "de-complexification." Each of the five are notably islands with large metropolitan regions, meaning they've already shown they can sustain millions of people. Their work was published in the peer-reviewed journal Sustainability on July 21.
Read more: Reclusive billionaire and Google cofounder Larry Page has been off the grid for over a year. Sources say he's been hiding out on Fijian islands that are cut off from most travelers during the pandemic.
New Zealand
Hydroelectric plants in New Zealand. DeAgostini/Getty Images
Located roughly 2,800 miles from the equator, New Zealand is naturally cooler than many regions in the world, boding well for the area in the event of a large temperature increase due to climate change.
Close to 40% of the country's primary energy supply comes from renewable energy sources and the nation produced enough energy to cover 75% of its energy requirements, according to a New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment, making it an ideal location in the event of societal collapse.
Sheep on farm land at the base of the crown range are seen on June 25, 2020 in Queenstown, New Zealand Hannah Peters/Getty Images
The only highly populous country close to New Zealand is Australia, making the country harder for global refugees from around the world to travel to in an apocalypse with scarce resources. Based off the country's COVID-19 response, New Zealand's already proven that its leaders and region can survive intense periods of hardship.
The nation shuttered its borders to nearly all travelers early on in the pandemic and instituted internal lockdowns to prevent the spread of the virus — and it worked. Only 26 people have died of COVID-19 in New Zealand, making it one of the safest places to be in the world during the ongoing pandemic.
A lone walker on Oriental Bay beach on April 06, 2020 in Wellington, New Zealand. Mark Tantrum/Getty Images
Wealthy Silicon Valley executives have reportedly been buying property in New Zealand over the last decade in preparation for an apocalyptic scenario. Billionaire Peter Thiel has already purchased several properties in the region and buying property in New Zealand is code for getting "apocalypse insurance."
Iceland
Bjarnarflag Geothermal power station / Bjarnarflagsvirkjun, operated by Landsvirkjun near Námafjall Mountain in the geothermal area of Mývatn, Iceland. Sven-Erik Arndt/Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Coming in at No. 2 on the list, Iceland is home to an abundance of natural and renewable energy sources in the form of geothermal and hydroelectric power plants.
Workers transplant saplings at Kvistar greenhouse near Selfoss, southern Iceland before the young trees are planted on May 20, 2019. HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP via Getty Images
Being substantially closer to the North Pole than the equator, Iceland's climate is much cooler than other regions of the planet. So the arable land should continue to be tenable as the climate keeps warming.
While Iceland's land is icy and seemingly inhospitable, the country grows more than half of its produce with renewable energy, according to the US Green Chamber of Commerce. Many farmers use greenhouses and natural geothermal steam to "actively enhance photosynthesis" in their plants.
Arnardrangur / Eagle rock, basalt sea stack on the Black sand beach Reynisfjara near VÃk à Mýrdal in summer, Iceland. Sven-Erik Arndt/Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Iceland is also home to an abundance of fisheries along its coastlines, allowing for readily available food in the event of a sudden collapse. According to the the Global Sustainability Institute, the nation has several "favorable starting conditions" and is prepared to survive a disaster.
United Kingdom
Tregothan Estate staff member Darcie Dawe oversees the first pluck of tea in October on the west banks of Tregothnan on October 14, 2020 at Truro, England. Hugh Hastings/Getty Images
The United Kingdom has lots of available farmland, a milder temperature climate, and a plethora of precipitation that makes it a fantastic region to rebuild society, the researchers found. The area also isn't regularly hit with major natural disasters, which bodes well for its survival chances.
Hours before the England football team play an historic game against Italy the first time since 1966 that the English national team have played in a major mens' international football final, thousands of supporters congregate. Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images
One major drawback of the United Kingdom is its fairly limited amount of land and increasingly large population. The study authors noted the energy demands of the UK's population is substantial enough to be a problem in the event of an apocalyptic scenario.
Nearly half of the UK's energy comes from fossil fuels and nuclear power generation, making it difficult to adjust to changing supply chains in a de-complexification scenario. About 42% of the country's power comes from renewable energy, a statistic that continues to rise as the nation slowly taps more into unexploited wind resources.
Australia
Sheep graze in front of wind turbines on Lake George on September 1, 2020 on the outskirts of Canberra, Australia. David Gray/Getty Images
The only continent on this list, Australia's location and massive land mass make it another prime spot to ride out the apocalypse. Each region boasts a different climate and temperate, which allow for increased agricultural and animal biodiversity.
The study notes that climate change is expected to have a large impact on Australia by exacerbating trends: rainy regions will see more precipitation, deserts will get less water, and so on. Trees becoming drier and drier due to hot and arid conditions have already led to repeated wildfires in the continent.
Tasmania, Australia. Steve Lovegrove/Shutterstock
Tasmania, an island state directly off the coast of Australia, faces fewer effects from climate change and already uses an abundance of hydroelectric and wind-powered stations. A quarter of the island is already used for agriculture, which could be increased in the event of a disaster.
The study authors note that Tasmania could become Australia's "lifeboat" if conditions on the main continent become uninhabitable.
Ireland
Brian Staunton of Lettershinn brings the sheep and lambs back to the field after spray marking. On Saturday, 1 May 2021, in Lettershinna, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The entire island of Ireland comes in at fifth on the shortlist and is notably a combination of Northern Ireland — which is part of the United Kingdom — and the Republic of Ireland. Ireland's climate is similar to the UK's with lots of precipitation and fertile soil.
Windmills producing alternative energy near Kenmare, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland. Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Ireland's low population conversely means it has less energy demand. While about one-third of Ireland's energy came from renewable sources in 2018, the region continues to expand its clean energy initiatives via wind generation and hydroelectric plants.
Low energy demand and increasing renewable energy sources make for a promising spot for a doomsday bunker, the authors concluded.
Not really sure what you call it but we have this box in our smallest bedroom which is for the headroom of the stairs IYKWIF..
This is a picture stolen off Zoopla of another house in the street who have gotten rid of the box and are just left with the slope - its such a weird and difficult thing to work with!
Any suggestions? I'm assured that a lot of 1930's/early semi's have these but I wonder how everyone else makes better use of it.
Before
after
13 replies
Beginner April 2015
*RMD* ·
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Why would you want a slope in your bedroom? that's odd to me!
I would use it for storage shelf or find drawers that fit on top of it maybe?
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Beginner July 2013
WickyWack ·
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We have a bookcase sat on ours atm, along with about 5 boxes of books!!
Next door said there's was made into a wardrobe but looked to big and oppressive. Thing I'll just make ours into shelving I reckon
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Beginner August 2014
ATB ·
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The slope is totally weird - what a waste of the space!
I think your 'box' is fine! ? Ok - not perhaps ideal but it's only in your spare room. I'd put shelving above it then use the top as the bottom shelf sort of idea, then it's useful.
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Beginner June 2011
Built in bed (Child's) over the top of it, with storage in the remaining under-bed space.
Or built in wardrobe on the top (no good for ballgowns of course, but enough hanging space for shirts)
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Beginner August 2012
Like AC suggests, when we bought our house the lady had a small bed for her grandson built right up to it and then used the box bit as a shelf for his TV/games thingy. I think a shelf/box shape is far more useful than a slope.
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Genius
My old room at my Mums was the box room. I used the "box" as a desk. Was perfect for when I was doing my art homework.
When I moved out, my Dad built a bed over it, for my son. It meant there is lots of storage underneath, and more floor space to play with.
The slope is a total waste of space.
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Beginner November 2011
leni-lw! ·
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I had this in my other house in the box room, its much better boxed off rather than slant, which mine was and was a complete waste of space
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Beginner July 2015
I have one of these. It currently stores all my office & printer stuff but is currently very messy.
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Beginner October 2014
I have one in my bathroom - it is used as a very large and annoying shelf. And a place to bang your knee while you wee.
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Beginner July 2016
laurafish ·
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We have one and like others have said, we have a bed built over it.
Agree with the rest, the slope is much more pointless, at least you can put things on a box!
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Beginner August 2014
ATB ·
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I'm surprised that so many of you have them - I've never seen one before now!
On a similar note - I looked at a house in my area on rightmove that was exactly the same layout as my cousin's - obviously from the same 'kit' and it was very weird!
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Beginner October 2012
Ali_G ·
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We have this in our main bedroom, but ours is huge. I have a trunk thingy on ours. And I also use it as a dumping space, where I dump my clothes over the duration of the week, haha. Ideally, I'd like to box it in and put shelves in there, but then we'd have nowhere for the TV and H would not be happy about that.
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Beginner July 2016
laurafish ·
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Just to add, found a photo on my work computer that explains what I (and probably everyone else) mean:
This is before we moved in, we were renting it out. As you can see the tenant wasn't really making use of the room for what it's meant for, but you can get the idea hopefully. So the white bit sticking out is the stair box, and then everything from the stair box to the wall is now storage - the wood part is doors.
The only other place a bed could have fit in that room is to come out in front of the radiator so this made sense - my OH actually built this as he used to live in our house with his parents, many years ago
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