What Would Happen if Humans Went Extinct?

The world we know today is nothing like the world when it was originally formed. It has changed time and time over. Throughout the 4.6 billion years of Earth's history, there have been five major mass extinction events that each wiped out an overwhelming majority of species living at the time. Each of these events varied in size and cause, but all of them completely devastated the biodiversity found on Earth at their times. This knowledge will help you understand what may be next.

Wait...what's coming next? A growing number of people feel the human species is on track to be a part of the next big extinction. The Coronavirus Pandemic is raging on with no end in sight. Beyond this virus, climate change still threatens our very existence. This doesn't even take into account rising political tensions, racial protests, looting, and the threat of nuclear war. It is no wonder that so many people are beginning to think the human species may be on its way out and the best post apocalyptic books are growing in popularity.

So, what would a world after humans are gone even look like? The best apocalypse books give us some hints and clues. You probably picture a New York City skyline covered with vines, but this isn't realistic. Before plants even get the chance to overrun streets and cities, many would burn to the ground! With no human intervention and firefighters, one single lightning strike that hits a wooden structure would start a blaze that could destroy a city's worth of buildings. Not to mention, electrical wires would fall to ground without maintenance and generators would break down. Within 100 years, most wooden structures would be gone.

The cities that survived the fires would be overrun by weeds, and eventually by larger plants and trees. Roads would turn to rivers, and underground subway systems would flood. Even items made out of steel, like cars and bridges, would be destroyed. Without constant paint coatings, the iron in steel would react with oxygen in the air and turn to rust.

As well, humans would leave behind some permanent traces that are not so natural. Our mountains of trash would linger. The chemicals in plastics and certain types of rubber can't be digested by bacteria and do not naturally break down. The plastics and rubber would eventually be swept into the oceans and settle in sediment layers. Even if all humans were gone tomorrow, this trash would be a reminder of our presence for many years to come.

It wouldn't be all bad news. Most species that humans have repressed would return to the population levels they were at before humans evolved. Invasive species that humans have imported and exported would continue to thrive in their non-native lands.

This topic is very interesting, and also very scary. You want to learn more about this possibility. To expand your knowledge even further, look into reading as many of the best post apocalyptic books as possible!