The World Without Us
A thought experiment about what would happen to cities, plastics and wildlife if humans suddenly vanished.
Journalist Alan Weisman expanded his 2005 Discover article into this 2007 book. It imagines how cities and houses would decay, how long man-made things would last and how other life would evolve. He concludes that residential neighborhoods would turn to forest within 500 years, while radioactive waste, bronze statues and plastics would linger longest. Louise Erdrich found real comfort in its tour of a planet that has shrugged off human presence.
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Louise Erdrich
I know, still not a cheerful thought, but oddly I found real comfort in this altogether humane and fascinating tour of a planet that has shrugged off all human presence.
Article · December 2017
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