
The Shocking Doomsday Maps of the World and the Billionaire Escape Plans - Mz
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdobson/2017/06/10/the-shocking-doomsday-maps-of-the-world-and-the-billionaire-escape-plans/#3fa028744047
======
iambateman
This Scallion character is described as a "spiritual visionary." Which is fine
but I'm not sure I want my metaphysics guru drawing maps of coastline shifts
in a Forbes article.

Also, billionaire land purchases probably have more to do with the human
desire to dominate than with a doomsday scenario. E.g. If financial markets
and land rights go down the tubes, I'm not sure what 200,000 acres in Montana
is going to do.

~~~
anigbrowl
Dominate what, though? Presumably if society collapsed they hope to be able to
defend and exploit such land by the traditional feudal methods.

~~~
iambateman
1\. This conversation is exceedingly conjectural. Fun, too.

2A. Mob bosses & gang leaders would be better positioned to take control from
a supply chain perspective. They could offer safety and resources in exchange
for power, loyalty and rents.

2B. As another commenter pointed out, a billionaire in the middle of a frozen
financial system isn't much better off than an average joe. In a rapid
destabilization scenario, wouldn't go to Montana...they would go to Hong Kong.

3\. Ok, I need to get back to reality.

------
anigbrowl
Wild and absurd as these doomsday predictions sound, land ownership and the
acquisition patterns thereof is a matter of record and may thus be judged as
actions rather than words.

What good explanations are there for billionaires acquiring such vast acreages
as personal property rather than for commercial exploitation purposes? Insofar
as such strategies _do_ represent an attempt to commandeer the lifeboats, to
what extent are others bound to respect their rights therein?

~~~
kilroy123
It is also likely a tax thing. It's very common for the rich to buy wilderness
land in exchange for lowering taxes. The rule is basically, you own the land
but you can't do any development on it.

[https://www.landtrustalliance.org/news/syndication-
conservat...](https://www.landtrustalliance.org/news/syndication-conservation-
easement-tax-deductions)

~~~
anigbrowl
Best answer, thanks

------
a3n
> All post polar shift predictions are based on theories from Gordon-Michael
> Scallion, Edgar Cayce and others, and should not be construed as fact.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Cayce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Cayce)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Changes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Changes)

~~~
bonzini
Is "collapsing of the tectonic plate" underneath Europe a thing at all?

Even if all permanent ice melted in the Arctic and on all mountain tops, seas
would "only" raise by about 200 feet, if I remember correctly. That's
certainly not enough to submerge Europe like that.

~~~
dogma1138
It kinda will
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_average...](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_average_elevation)

Some countries in Europe like Denmark and the Netherlands will not exist after
a 200ft rise in sea level.

~~~
bonzini
The highest point in the Netherlands and Denmark is respectively 1060 and 560
feet, but yeah 200 feet would be terrible.

~~~
dogma1138
So they'll have 3-4 hills left standing.

I think about every European capital is (way) below 200m of elevation, so are
most of the major cities.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_elevation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_elevation)

Looks like outside of Warsaw and Athens European capitals would become the
shooting site for the bob sponge squarepants life action franchise if the sea
levels rise by anywhere close to 200ft.

Water would seek the lowest point, even if you have natural barriers, with a
groundwater table of that height would find a way in, in Miami you already
have sea water coming out of the pavement because the water table has risen to
above street level of many places.

This is effectively what already is happening in the Netherlands (nothing to
do with global warming specifically since it's been the case since the ice
age, but rising sea levels aren't making it any better) where the water table
is higher than the elevation of many regions and you have to pump out the
water back into the ocean constantly.

------
Animats
About the author: "I am highly experienced in exotic travel and extreme luxury
adventures."

The real story here is, why are those billionaires buying all that land in
isolated areas? Even YC's Sam Altman says he has an escape plan to some place
in Big Sur.

Malone, the retired cable guy biggest landowner, is into ranching, so he's at
least using the land in Colorado.

------
hprotagonist
nah.

a large unknown force will blow the moon into seven chunks, and Neil de Grasse
Tyson will lead us into space, Elon Musk will harness a comet and die of
radiation exposure.

better bone up on my morse code.

~~~
sbierwagen
The billionaire space guy in Seveneves was actually supposed to be Jeff Bezos.
(Neal has worked for Blue Origin in the past)

------
valuearb
Those maps are so bat-shit crazy that they are awesome.

~~~
dnautics
They're definitely optimized for drama. The new water areas are pretty much
selected based on population​ and not much else.

------
polotics
Wow my opinion of Forbes just dropped a few notches. On the side of one map
there is even "Atlantis". Seriously?

------
hn_throwaway_99
> Africa will ultimately be divided into three parts. The Nile will widen
> significantly. A brand new waterway will split the entire country, from the
> Mediterranean Sea towards Gabon.

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it was a typo, but referring
to Africa as a country is sad.

------
Pinckney
These maps literally show Atlantis resurfacing out of the middle of the
Atlantic ocean.

~~~
steanne
joke's on them, they'll be surfacing into the north atlantic garbage patch.

------
marmaduke
Wouldn't boat building and floating agriculture be a trend in these scenarios?

