by Alan Weisman (Author)
Discover the impact of the human footprint in The World Without Us . Take us off the Earth and what traces of us would linger? And which would disappear? Alan Weisman writes about which objects from today would vanish without us; how our pipes, wires, and cables would be pulverized into an unusual (but mere) line of red rock; why some museums and churches might be the last human creations standing; how rats and roaches would struggle without us; and how plastic, cast-iron, and radio waves may be our most lasting gifts to the planet. But The World Without Us is also about how parts of our world currently fare without a human presence (Chernobyl; a Polish old-growth forest; the Korean DMZ) and it looks at the human legacy on Earth, both fleeting and indelible. It's narrative non-fiction at its finest, taking on an irresistible concept with gravity and a highly-readable touch. Some examples of what would happen are: One year: Several more billion birds will live when airplane warning lights cease blinking; Twenty years: The water-soaked steel columns that support the street above New York's East Side would corrode and buckle. As Lexington Avenue caves in, it becomes a river; 100,000 years: CO2 will be back to pre-human levels (or it might take longer); Forever: Our radio waves, fragmented as they may be, will still be going out.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 336
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books,US
Published: 10 Jul 2007
ISBN 10: 0312347294
ISBN 13: 9780312347291