Bibliophilia: The World Without Us – Alan Weisman

The World Without Us – Alan Weisman

The author uses an intriguing angle to show the effect we (humans) are having on the planet – by removing us from the picture. What would happen if we all suddenly disappeared tomorrow, how would the world change without the influence that we are having on it. By going to cities like Chernobyl and places like the Korean DMZ, places that have been allowed to develop without human interference for many years, it gives a glimpse into how different the planet would be. It’s a provocative book that shows what we are doing to the planet, in a roundabout way. 

One of the things I found most intriguing is how long houses and buildings and cities would continue to stand for. I was always under the assumption that if we were to come back centuries after the fact, that traces of cities would still be very evident. The author posits that if you built a house, closed all the doors and windows, and no human came near it, a century later, it would be a pile of rubble in the basement. Birds would crash into the windows, and let moisture in, squirrels and mice would eventually burrow in, and let moisture in that way for mould to gain a foot hold, rain water would eventually seep in around points on the roof, and just plain old neglect and lack of maintenance would do the thing in. In a city like New York, pumps work around the clock to empty all the tunnels under the city of water - millions of liters per day. Without those pumps working furiously, they would flood in short order, and cause the collapse of everything above them.

Another thing I learned, and I’m surprised I didn’t know this, is that bronze will pretty much last forever. Tens of millennium from now, bronze statues will still be standing even after everything else has crumbled to dust.