The World Health Organizationwarned to begin with this yearthat " the world will face another grippe pandemic – the only thing we do n’t know is when " . As well as flu , the world could yet face up an outbreak of any other routine of high - threat pathogens , from SARS , Zika , and Nipah to the ominiously name " Disease X " . In terms of possible ways humanness could go out , planetary epidemics are up there with antibiotic resistor and nuclear warfare .
investigator from the University of Otago , Wellington , have tried to cipher out where in the human beings harbour human race ’s effective promise for selection if a ruinous pandemic were to hit . Narrowing it down to island nations that could act as resort from the ( supposititious ) pathogen , the squad outrank 20 potential places where the human race could first make it and then rebuild society .
“ The bad - case scenario could see multiple genetically engineered pandemic organisms being released at once , " lead study generator Dr Matt Boyd said in astatement .
" We involve to be ready for these berth . Our study show that certain island nation have the characteristics needed to save technological culture through a catastrophic event .
“ It may be that a clear and contract pauperism arises where theonlyoption for humanity is an island asylum . ”
The researchers created a marking system so as to rank which island Carry Amelia Moore Nation would be most suited as a base for humanity ’s survival , taking into account resources ( include energy and food production ) , population , placement , and society .
The study establish that if undivided divisor could be mitigate , then some other island nations could become even more suitable bases from which man could rebuild .
" For Iceland , overcoming its limited food product , perhaps through scaling - up production ; diverting animal fodder crop , such as rootage vegetables to human solid food ; or reducing food waste , might lift its status to that of the most optimum refuge . "
After Australia , New Zealand , and Iceland ( ranked 0.71 , 0.68 , and 0.64 out of 1 respectively ) there was a big drop off in suitableness for the task . Malta , Japan , Cape Verde , the Bahamas , and Trinidad and Tobago were next , though none of them reached a score as gamy as 0.5 .
" [ Rebuilding companionship ] will require post - catastrophe mobility , blanket resources , and a with child population that can spread around the Earth again . Several of the island nations that were study lacked independent resource , including vigour supplies , and also lack the social capital and political stability to make effective post - catastrophe cooperation probably . "
So for now , if a pandemic were to strike , our in effect hope for humanity might just be Australia .
