Before the industrial revolution, human's existence barely influenced Earth. Human beings were scared of nature, and they tried to seek symbiosis with it. However, as the industrial revolution began in England and spread all over the world, human beings made a significant change to the environment, some being permanently irreversible. However, human species have not lived permanently since Earth was made, and they will not survive on Earth permanently. This leads us to the question, what will happen if every human being disappears?

▲ Smog in Trafalgar Square, London

As soon as human beings disappear, the electricity grid will run out due to the run out of power source. Some subways underwater, including London, Moscow, and New York subways, will flood in a matter of days due to the lack of operation of water pump in the tunnels. Without heat, there will be no air, molds will appear on the walls of abandoned buildings, and in winter, water pipes and canals will burst. Nuclear plants and oil plants will explode due to overheat and malfunction. With the explosion, many animals will die, and some will have genetic mutations. Animals with genetic mutations will eventually make new evolutionary lines.

As more time passes, plants will take over the buildings, and some will break the motorways. With the plants and wildlife colonizing the city, the lines between a city and the countryside will blur. Shrubs and trees will grow in farmlands in rural areas. Moreover, the forests will be covered with car tires, plastics, vinyl and stainless steels that will never degrade. Endangered animals will multiply due to the fall of global temperature and sea levels. Then, rivers will be cleaner by the evolution of bacteria with will degrade plastic bits and Styrofoam will scatter across the ocean.

▲ Huge Island of plastic garbage in the middle of the ocean

Asking what will happen if every human being disappears is not a big concern to most of the people. However, asking ourselves and thinking about the answer to this question lets us know more about our environment and Mother Earth that we are living in. Therefore, we must protect our environment and do everything possible to save Earth from suffocating to death.

▲ San Francisco after Human Extinction

By Minsu Chung