Scientists reveal safest countries to survive nuclear apocalypse

PARIS: Scientists have recently revealed that Australia and New Zealand are best placed to survive a nuclear apocalypse and help reboot collapsed human civilisation.

The study, published in the journal Risk Analysis, has found that there are just a few island nations that could continue to produce enough food to feed their population after an “abrupt sunlight-reducing catastrophe” such as a nuclear war, super volcano or asteroid strike. These countries include not just Australia and New Zealand, but also Iceland, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. There would “likely be pockets of survivors around the planet in even the most severe” scenario, the researchers wrote in the study.

They compared 38 island countries on 13 factors which they said would predict which ones stood the best chance of surviving in a post-apocalyptic world.

The authors of the study found that Australia and New Zealand - both robust agricultural producers and tucked away from the likely sites of northern hemisphere nuclear fallout - topped the tables, with Australia performing best overall.