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Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Plastic does not biodegrade, so it will still harm nature forever.
Chapter 2: Much of the toxic material humans released will still continue afflicting nature long after humankind has vanished.
Chapter 3: With no humans remaining to control nuclear waste, it will scourge the planet.
Chapter 4: In the centuries after humanity has vanished, nature will recover in most areas of the world.
Chapter 5: With humanity gone, domesticated farm animals will die off as predators quickly thrive.
Chapter 6: In the absence of humans, species endangered by people will survive and recover.
Chapter 7: Over time, most ordinary human-made buildings will be slowly reclaimed by nature.
Chapter 8: Only a handful of human-made materials and monuments will endure in the centuries after we’re gone.
Description
The World Without Us (2007) outlines the fictional scenario where, all of a sudden, the whole of mankind disappears. With humanity missing, the process by which nature claims back what was once hers is described. Although most of the footprints left by humanity would be gone after a relatively short period, some would remain. Among these remnants would be some of the many toxic substances released by mankind, meaning that, even after we’ve gone, the damaging effects of human civilization would linger.
Who Should Listen
- Anyone who wonders what damage humans have already done to nature
- Anyone who wants to know if nature can recover from human interference
- Anyone who wonders what will survive of our human culture