The other day I came across an interesting site, promoting the Alan Weisman’s book “The World Without Us”. The book and subsequently the site poses the question “What would the planet be like, if we immediately disappeared?” What would the earth look like if every single human being ceased to exist, our buildings, cities, and other modern trappings being the stuff left behind. The book goes on to explain what elements of our civilizations would last the longest after we are gone, and what would be reclaimed by nature. It talks about the things that would immediately change within days of our absence, and goes as far as millions of years beyond to show just how the planet would be. It is an excellent educational lesson about the nature of our planets desire to reclaim the unnatural, and develop a sense of equilibrium.
For example, within 7 days of our absence there would be nuclear meltdowns around the world, due to the emergency diesel generators that cool nuclear reactors running out of fuel. The site, and I’m sure the book as well, is full of interesting factoids like this. After visiting the site, I went and ordered the book on Amazon. When it comes, I will definitely give an update, perhaps even a review of the book itself.
You can click HERE to look at an interesting “Did You Know” timeline of some of the events that would happen if we were gone. Or you can click HERE to simply explore the site for yourself (there are some interesting videos on there as well).
