A World Without Us?

In a wonderful thought experience, Alan Wiseman's new book A World Without Us poses the question, "What would the Earth be like if we just vanished?"

The idea poses a unique method to look at the issues surrounding environmentalism, especially in a reverse engineering kind of way.

Wiseman's site offers images of what this transition would look like.

Order Wiseman's book here from Amazon.

New Scientist Magazine touches on the same idea in their article:
"Imagine Earth without people "

The article begins:
Humans are undoubtedly the most dominant species the Earth has ever known. In just a few thousand years we have swallowed up more than a third of the planet's land for our cities, farmland and pastures. By some estimates, we now commandeer 40 per cent of all its productivity. And we're leaving quite a mess behind: ploughed-up prairies, razed forests, drained aquifers, nuclear waste, chemical pollution, invasive species, mass extinctions and now the looming spectre of climate change. If they could, the other species we share Earth with would surely vote us off the planet.

Now just suppose they got their wish.

Pretty freaky, huh? The article continues...
The same lack of maintenance will spell an early demise for buildings, roads, bridges and other structures. Though modern buildings are typically engineered to last 60 years, bridges 120 years and dams 250, these lifespans assume someone will keep them clean, fix minor leaks and correct problems with foundations. Without people to do these seemingly minor chores, things go downhill quickly.