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If humans went extinct, what would the Earth look like one year later? (theconversation.com)

submitted 11 months ago by 1984@lemmy.today to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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I liked this article. It was a weird feeling to read it because I felt like it would be quite nice if humans disappeared from the planet...

At the same time I'm happy to be here, enjoying all the tech we have and the tools we have, the food we eat.

I still think humans can live in harmony with nature but we don't have any good leaders to take civilization in that direction. So in the end, we will probably perish because we fought over power and money until there was nothing left.

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[-] Bristlecone@lemmy.world 13 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

One thing I frequently think about is just how toxic everything would turn if humans suddenly disappeared. There's a hell of a lot of waste and fuel that would go unmanaged and seep into the ecosystem. Nuclear reactors across the earth would a irradiate almost the entire water supply on the planet. Life might survive but not before a lot more species went extinct. Huge tracts of land would be no longer able to support life for possibly thousands of years

[-] Nomecks@lemmy.ca 7 points 11 months ago

So many tailings ponds and retention dams would fail and severely mess up the landscape.

[-] Donebrach@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

In the words of the inimitable Jeff (Chef) Goldblum, “life, uh, finds a way.”

[-] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

yeah exactly my reaction, I'd worry the world would be messy - at least near any nuclear plant that doesn't self shut down.... I agree it would irradiate an enormous amount of water and soil but 1000 years later? most of the hot stuff will be long gone and nature will just adapt around the dead zones. see the results @ Pripyat.

[-] Bristlecone@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

Most of the radiation won't go away for tens of thousands of years actually, We also don't know the long-term effects on the animals and life in those zones, extreme cancer occurrence is likely for one

this post was submitted on 01 Jan 2024

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