- After humans disappear, power plants will shut down stopping drains.
- Subways would start to flood and sewers may begin to clog with debris.
- Over time Manhattan will revert to its old self before humanization.
- Such places where we can observe the possible future after humans is primeval forest in Europe.
- Another area is the Korean DMZ where there is a wildlife preserve.
- There were many large species across many continents that are now extinct.
- We are so focused about the negativity of humans being gone, that we don't realize the somewhat good that can occur from this.
- Within just a couple of decades the streets would begin cratering.
- In 100,000 years, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere returns to preindustrial levels.
- In New York, oaks and maples, along with the invasive Chinese ailanthus, would claim the city.
- Without skyscrapers and power lines to fly into, at least a billion birds would avoid breaking their necks every year.
- Humans are destroying the Earth and the Earth would do better without us.
Without the existence of humans on Earth, physical infrastructure will crumble immediately, according to Alan Weisman. To start off, the first thing to turn off is the power. With the power off, subways will flood. Flooding will cause corrosion and will destroy support and crater streets. The corrosion will also destroy buildings. These buildings will push seeds into cracks on streets, which will then cause a small ecosystem. All of North America will be a giant habitat for deer, and North America will become a forest. To really know what the world will be like without humans, people need to visit abandoned places to see how things look there now. Although there are many negative affects with the absence of humans, there is one positive affect: Earth will be in a healthier state.
I think it’s interesting to see how everything would change so easily. We accept everything we build to be indestructible, somehow forgetting that if we were to disappear that tiny organisms can and will break everything down to a useable organic matter. On top of that I would have never though that another animal would take our place in the animal kingdom. Yes the earth would be healthier without us, but for how long? And animals like the baboons could probably take over creating tools and growing crops, which can lead to a life style much similar to our own.