Scenario: this island is cut off from the rest of humanity (magic, war, space alien zoo, etc)

Which island is in the best position to maintain its civilization? Industry? Technology?

  • Saucepain@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    31
    ·
    8 days ago

    Ireland isn’t bad from a basic survival perspective - massive food surplus and plenty of water - but if we wanted to maintain current living standards, I think we would fall down on power as it stands currently. Plenty of natural wind and tidal power resources that are underutilised.

    • khannie@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      7 days ago

      I’d say we’d need to make a bunch of biofuels to fill the immediate shortfall to keep tractors moving but as you say we’ve plenty of really good quality land, water, wind. Lots of chemical and medical processing capability once we have the raw ingredients for medicines etc.

      Main medium term issue would be mineral and metal mining and processing as we’re short on that but yeah overall think we’d be basically fine.

    • jet@hackertalks.comOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      edit-2
      8 days ago

      Ah yes. This island earth.

      What’s the smallest section of earth you would think could thrive in this scenario?

      • remon@ani.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        8 days ago

        I don’t know enough small islands. Something with a population of at least 5000 and a fishing-based economy is probably a good start.

  • Grimy@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    10
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    7 days ago

    In such scenarios, distance is probably an advantage so I would go with Hawaii if it is an option. There’s good diving too.

  • jet@hackertalks.comOP
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    10
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    8 days ago

    I think Iceland is a strong choice. It has power and rare earth resources

    • myrmidex@belgae.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      7 days ago

      Outstanding reference. Meanwhile, the rest of us are still on islands where people argue about whether helping each other is economically feasible.

    • Chris@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      7 days ago

      a piece of land surrounded by water.

      The first definition.

      I guess that means continents are islands.

      Does that mean now that we have the Panama canal that North and South America are separate islands?

      • samus12345@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        7 days ago

        a piece of land surrounded by water.

        In that case, it would be Africa, Europe, and Asia, since it’s all connected.

      • 5too@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        7 days ago

        The canal’s above sea level, isn’t it? Wouldn’t that just make it a river that goes over the continental divide?

    • Denjin@lemmings.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      14
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      7 days ago

      1 - England is not an island, you mean Great Britain.

      2 - Almost half the food eaten in the UK has been imported from overseas.

      3 - A large proportion (it’s difficult to get exact figures and it fluctuates) of energy is imported from abroad in the forms of oil and gas.

      Great Britain, and the wider UK, has not been self sufficient for ~600 years relying on colonialism and a maritime empire to meet its needs and trade since it collapsed. If it had to rely on resources available within the island it would collapse in days.