A number of the world's wealthiest and most influential people have invested in private shelters - often furnished with an abundance of luxury and comfort.
According to insiders, there is a growing trend for the elite to invest heavily in protecting themselves against a possible doomsday scenario in which the rest of society is destroyed.
In Swedish state television's new documentary series, Your Guide to the End of the World (Din guide till jordens undergång), actor Valter Skarsgård sets out to understand, with the help of Swedish and international scientists, what threats they believe humanity faces, such as AI, nuclear war or climate change.
The documentary also notes how the wealthiest elite are spending a lot of time and money preparing for The Event - an unspecified disaster that is expected to come and which they believe could lead to the downfall of society as we know it.
In many cases, the wealthiest are building private shelters on their land or under their houses and furnishing them with every conceivable amenity - such as home theaters, wine cellars or gyms.
"Pathetic people"
When author and professor Douglas Rushkoff came to lecture on the digital future to some of the world's wealthiest people, he was surprised when they were most interested in how best to prepare themselves for "The Event".
– That's the term they use for climate catastrophe or nuclear war, economic collapse, social unrest or pandemics. Events that make the world uninhabitable and force them to retreat to a bunker, so they can survive the apocalypse, Rushkoff says in the documentary.
– My reaction to encountering these pathetic people was one of astonishment. That the richest and most powerful people I've ever met felt so powerless in the face of the future. These men have given up on humanity, he continues.
Gold taps in demand
The documentary also features an interview with Paul Weldon, who works specifically on building luxury bunkers for billionaires. Weldon notes that demand has soared since the start of the war in Ukraine and then again after Israel's invasion of Gaza.
– There is no doubt that this is a global trend, he says.
In their most basic form, luxury bunkers cost "a couple of million pounds", which covers essentials like filtration systems and backup power. Additional features come at a premium, and Weldon notes that gold-plated taps, for instance, are an upgrade the ultra-wealthy are more than willing to splurge on.
