A nuclear conflict would be catastrophic, spreading radiation globally; however, an expert has pinpointed a potential refuge. Investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen recommends that Americans wishing to evade the devastating effects of World War III consider relocating to Australia or New Zealand. During an episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast, Jacobsen mentioned that these Southern Hemisphere nations could be the sole regions capable of maintaining agriculture after a nuclear disaster in the northern areas of the world.

Amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East, concerns about potential Iranian sleeper cells in the US have heightened fears of a sudden detonation of a weapon of mass destruction. Meanwhile, ceasefire efforts between Iran and Israel seem to be stalled, with both parties accusing each other of breaching a delicate peace agreement. Nuclear-armed countries like Russia and China, Iran’s allies, have forewarned that US involvement in the Middle East conflict might escalate into a global war, possibly leading to a catastrophic scenario.

Jacobsen outlined a grim scenario in a podcast conversation with host Steven Bartlett, describing how a nuclear war could devastate much of Earth. ‘Places like Iowa and Ukraine would be just snow for 10 years. So agriculture would fail and when agriculture fails, people just die,’ Jacobsen cautioned. Moreover, she explained, radiation poisoning would become a severe threat due to the extensive damage to the ozone layer, making it dangerous to be exposed to sunlight, as discussed during the 2024 podcast.

‘People will be forced to live underground. So you have to imagine people living underground, fighting for food everywhere except for in New Zealand and Australia,’ she continued. Before the crisis in the Middle East even escalated, Jacobsen had released a book entitled Nuclear War: A Scenario, which laid out in shocking detail how the end of the world would play out during World War III. ‘Hundreds of millions of people die in the fireballs, no question,’ she told Bartlett.

However, Jacobsen added that a 2022 study by Professor Owen Toon in Nature Food claimed the death toll would quickly consume the majority of the world’s population. ‘Professor Toon and his team… sort of updated [the] nuclear winter idea based around food, and the number that they have is five billion people would be dead,’ Jacobsen said. Nuclear winter describes the severe, long-lasting global cooling that could happen after a large-scale nuclear war.

In a full-scale war, where many cities are hit by nuclear bombs, those explosions would cause huge fires, burning buildings, forests, and other structures. The smoke and soot from these fires would rise high into the sky, into a part of the atmosphere called the stratosphere, where it can stay for years because rain can’t wash it away. This thick layer of soot would block sunlight from reaching the Earth’s surface, like a giant shade over the planet.

With less sunlight, the Earth would get much colder. The experts Jacobsen spoke to in her book predicted that temperatures in the US would plunge by roughly 40 degrees Fahrenheit, making farming impossible. This cold and darkness would lead to massive food shortages and starvation. Animals and fish would also struggle to survive, making food even scarcer. ‘The population of the planet currently is what, eight billion?’ Bartlett said. ‘So there’d be three billion people still alive. Where shall I go to be one of the three billion? I was just in New Zealand and Australia,’ the host mentioned.

‘That’s exactly where you’d go. According to Toon, those are the only places that could actually sustain agriculture,’ Jacobsen replied. Along with both nations being capable of producing food once the dust settles on a nuclear war , Australia and New Zealand have several other factors which make this part of the world a haven from global destruction. They are far from the major nuclear powers which would likely spark a world war, the US, Russia, and China.

Being island nations, their isolation in the Pacific and Southern Oceans limits fallout from nuclear detonations up north. That’s because prevailing winds and ocean currents would carry much of the radioactive material away from these regions. For those who can’t afford a trip to Australia or New Zealand, the renewed threat of a global nuclear war has sparked a nationwide search to locate America’s long-forgotten fallout shelters.

Although they’re not built to withstand the initial blast, extreme heat, and shockwaves of a nuclear explosion, they can act as a safe room for anyone who lives to see the aftermath. As for what makes a good fallout shelter, shielding is the most important factor. Thick walls and a roof made of concrete or steel are necessary to block out the radiation produced by a nuclear explosion. Fallout shelters also need good ventilation with proper filters to trap radioactive particles in the air. Those inside will need enough food and clean water to last for weeks or months as the radiation clears the air, an area for waste disposal so you don’t contaminate clean supplies, and a comfortable place to sit or sleep.