What Horrific Reality Would Unfold on Earth if Humanity Suddenly Disappeared Overnight?
Since the Earth was formed, various life forms have appeared in succession, but over nearly 550 million years of history, many species have gone extinct.
In fact, more than 90% of the living organisms that ever existed on Earth have completely vanished. When one species goes extinct, another evolves and takes its place.
Millions of years ago, the ancestors of humanity emerged on Earth, beginning to compete with other mammals of their time for the title of Earth’s “dominators.”
After millions of years of evolution and development, humans, with their dexterous hands and unparalleled intellect, became the new masters of the Earth, establishing a magnificent human civilization.
However, today, humans have disrupted the ecological balance of the Earth, leading to severe climate conditions and natural disasters that have caused many species to rapidly go extinct.
Scientists predict that if the current situation continues, within less than a century, the sixth mass extinction will officially begin, and humans will share the same fate as the dinosaurs. So, what will Earth look like after humanity disappears?
Infrastructure Collapse
There are countless future scenarios regarding the extinction of humanity. If a virus were to cause a global pandemic, making humans “vanish” from the planet quickly, densely populated cities would undergo the most dramatic changes.
An area overrun by greenery after years of abandonment. (Photo: William Widmer/The New York Times).
According to researcher Weisman, without human operators managing traffic, regulating groundwater, or city waste systems, subway systems like those in London or New York risk being completely submerged in just 36 hours.
Oil refineries and nuclear power plants, if not monitored regularly, could lead to fires, reactor explosions, and the release of extremely dangerous radioactive materials. Similarly, the ecosystem that humans have only recently learned to cherish will be overwhelmed and die under mountains of non-biodegradable plastic waste.
Public transportation systems in cities will collapse within a day. (Photo: iStock).
Nature will begin to encroach upon architectural structures, causing the entire infrastructure to collapse, eventually being replaced by ancient forests. This will lead to the accumulation of vast amounts of dry leaves and flammable materials. Weisman notes: “Lightning-induced fires will produce a lot of ash, which nourishes life. Streets will transform into fields and dense forests within 500 years.”
Notably, “The longest-lasting structures are those made from non-artificial materials, such as stone architecture. At that point, massive mounds of earth and boulders would become the unique symbols of the planet, replacing the skyscrapers built by humans.”
A Silent World
If humans were to disappear from the Earth, the first noticeable change would relate more to hearing than sight, according to Carlton Basmajian, an associate professor of regional planning and urban design at the University of Iowa. The world would become incredibly quiet, allowing one to realize how much noise humans create. After a year without humans, the sky would be bluer and the air cleaner. Winds and rains would cleanse the Earth’s surface. All the smog and dust caused by humans would vanish, according to The Conversation.
A simulation of a post-apocalyptic world. (Photo: Bulgar/E+).
Inside Homes
In that first year, when houses have no visitors and no water from the taps, the water system requires regular pumping. Without anyone at the water supply plant managing the machinery, no water will flow to households. However, the water in the pipes when people disappear will still exist until winter arrives; thus, during the first cold snap, the frigid air will freeze the water in the pipes, causing them to burst.
Moreover, homes will also have no electricity. Power plants will cease operations as there will be no one to monitor the machinery and maintain fuel supplies. Consequently, homes will be engulfed in darkness, lacking lights, TVs, phones, or computers. Dust will cover everything inside. In reality, dust is always present in the air, but we do not notice it due to air conditioning and heating systems circulating air around.
Grass in yards will grow tall until it becomes too long and soft to continue. New grass patches will sprout everywhere. Many previously unseen trees will take root in your yard. There will be no one there to trim or cut them down.
Many insects will buzz around the garden. People typically control insects by spraying pesticides and eliminating their habitats. Without humans, insects will return and dominate the world once again.
On the Streets
In neighborhoods, animals will roam freely, starting with small creatures like mice, moles, raccoons, skunks, foxes, and beavers. Larger animals will appear later, including deer, coyotes, and occasionally bears.
With no electric lights, the natural world will revert to its natural rhythm. The only light will come from the Sun, Moon, and stars. Fires will occur frequently. Lightning could strike trees or fields, igniting underbrush or homes. Without humans to extinguish the fires, they will continue to spread until they extinguish themselves.
Nature’s Diversity Will Recover
Insects, the planet’s most abundant life form, will thrive the most without humans to control them and use pesticides. Consequently, a chain reaction will occur in the ecosystem: plant life will flourish, followed by an increase in bird populations.
Scientists predict the human extinction rate to be 1/14,000. (Photo: iStockphoto).
This transition will lead to an increase in biodiversity on a global scale. Modeling the diversity of large animals—such as lions, elephants, tigers, rhinoceroses, and bears—across the planet, scientists reveal that the world was once very rich in biodiversity. However, that changed when humans began to expand, hunt, and invade their habitats.
Søren Faurby, a lecturer in macroecology and macroevolution at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, explains: “When humans migrated out of Africa and Eurasia to other parts of the world, the extinction rate of animals in those areas also steadily increased.”
The world was once rich in biodiversity until humans appeared. (Photo: National Geographic).
He further emphasizes: “Without the heavy impact of humans, the central United States and parts of South America today would be among the richest habitats for large animals on Earth. Animals like elephants were common in the Mediterranean islands. There were even rhinoceroses living in Northern Europe.”
Faurby and his colleagues have calculated that even if humans were to disappear, it would still take millions of years for the planet to recover from the extinction of many previous species. “It is estimated that it would take about 3 to 7 million years or more to return to the pre-extinction levels of animal species,” says Jens-Christian Svenning, a professor of macroecology and biogeography at Aarhus University, Denmark.
The following video shows a series of events that would occur if an apocalypse were to suddenly strike. The video begins with the question: What would happen if everyone disappeared from this planet?
Nature Always Finds a Way
In a fictional world, nature could restore its inherent diversity, but the climate change impacts triggered by humans are indelible. Oil well explosions and gas leaks when humans are no longer in control will release large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Although CO2 will not remain in the atmosphere forever, as it is absorbed by the oceans, this “reservoir” is not bottomless. At some point, ocean waters will become acidic due to excess emissions, leading to toxic environments for living organisms.
Chernobyl, one of the largest abandoned places in the world. (Photo: CNTraveller).
The current level of CO2 in the atmosphere will take thousands of years to dissipate, potentially up to 100,000 years, according to Mr. Weisman’s book. However, he also presents an argument that ignites hope for humanity: during the Jurassic period, the level of CO2 in the atmosphere was five times higher, yet marine species found ways to adapt and survive.
The significance he mentions is that, regardless of how harsh the climate may be, nature always finds a way to exist. Flora and fauna can adapt and eventually evolve into more advanced forms on the planet.
A fleeting thought about the future can be enough to encourage individuals to pay more attention to their actions in the present. Preserving our status on this planet has been a relentless effort of humanity since the dawn of time.
