Bunker construction is multiplying, but between the fallout shelter and the underground palace, there are sums that vary by a few zeros.
Having recently entered the era of “global turmoil” in the words of Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations, the richest people in the world are racing to live underground. A new way of life for which some are better prepared than others. Over the past 15 years, the big tech bosses have all acquired a piece of land, in a little corner of paradise, isolated from the world, to build bunkers there, and thus be ready in the event of a global cataclysm. But behind these underground constructions, there are often megalomaniacal delusions that are ever more destructive for the planet’s biodiversity.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos owns a $237 million three-mansion complex that he plans to tear down and build a massive property on Indian Creek Island in Florida, dubbed the Billionaires’ Bunker. Billionaire Peter Thiel, the face of PayPal, also tried to build his own bunker on a 200-hectare plot in New Zealand, a project he had to abandon after the persistence of environmental activists on the island.
Before them, the CEO of Facebook (Meta) had already positioned himself on the issue of survivalism. Since 2014, the Zuckerberg couple has been amassing pieces of land in the Hawaiian archipelago. Thanks to a series of transactions, they have created a 566-hectare estate called Koolau Ranch on which they would, among other things, build a 450-square-meter underground mega bunker. According to the American magazine Wiredthis is a top secret project, since the majority of people working on the site had to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
The complex is built around two gigantic communicating mansions connected to the bunker. In addition to the thirty or so bedrooms and bathrooms, the property would have a gym, swimming pools, conference rooms and a tennis court. In addition, there are no fewer than 11 tree houses, connected together so that in the event of a problem, the inhabitants of Koolau Ranch would not be in contact with the ground. According to some estimates, the total price of the complex would be 245 million euros. Zuck, as he calls himself on Instagram, has also decided to house waguy cattle there, renowned for their meat. In a publication posted on the platform he owns, he explains that he wants to create a breeding farm to develop “the best beef in the world” by feeding them macadamia flour and beer, which he produces on his ranch.
The problem with all these new constructions is that they come at the cost of hundreds of hectares of natural spaces. Indian Creek is an artificial island built at sea, its construction required the destruction of natural marine habitats and the establishment of a colossal construction site in the same way as Mark Zuckerberg’s ranch, who nevertheless claims to be concerned about climate issues and is developing a large-scale communication campaign about the carbon neutrality desired by his company Meta by 2030. The tech giant pollutes to protect itself from the consequences of pollution.