Humans are a very important part of the ecosystem. Without humans, there would be no food, no clothes, no shelter. Without humans, there would be nothing to protect us from the weather.
But what if humans suddenly disappeared? Would that mean the end of life on Earth?
No! The answer is “no.” A world without people would be a completely different planet than we know today—but it wouldn’t be barren or lifeless. In fact, it would be quite the opposite: a lush and beautiful place teeming with life and wonder!
1 year later:
Trees and plants grow out of control.
CO2 is absorbed more and more quickly.
Winters get colder.
Canada will be covered by ice in 150 years.
Species that had been hunted reproduce freely.
15 years later:
Every road is overgrown.
30 years later:
Buildings start to crumble.
A new type of ecosystem forms in cities.
A mix of human structures and vegetation.
In the ocean coral proliferates, covering up sunken ships.
60 years later:
Oceans completely recover from overfishing.
200 years later:
The extra CO2 produced by humans has been completely eliminated.
Dams give way.
Rivers return to their original course.
500 years later:
Forest returns to the condition they were in 10,000 years earlier.
25,000 years later:
Nuclear waste is the only vestige of human life.
