Something tells me that if the end of the world comes, this sort of article will be a moot point. The Earth just can’t handle that many subsistence farmers and hunter/gatherer types. So most of us won’t make it.
Besides that, this is a strangely American fixation. You never seem to hear about doomsday sort of things in the same vein from Europe’s news outlets. China’s culture has endured the collapse of centralized authority many times over (most recently in the 19th and 20th centuries). Western Europe eventually came back from the collapse of the Roman Empire. If things really fell apart in North America, you can bet that the EU and China would figure out a deal to maintain some semblance of stability near the coasts, for the sake of protecting economic interests.
Besides that, this is a strangely American fixation. You never seem to hear about doomsday sort of things in the same vein from Europe’s news outlets. China’s culture has endured the collapse of centralized authority many times over (most recently in the 19th and 20th centuries). Western Europe eventually came back from the collapse of the Roman Empire. If things really fell apart in North America, you can bet that the EU and China would figure out a deal to maintain some semblance of stability near the coasts, for the sake of protecting economic interests.