"It's not a question of whether humanity will eventually die out, but rather a question of when," says Luc Bussiere, a biologist and environmental scientist at the Scottish University of Stirling. "At some point, 99.9 percent of all species that have lived on Earth has ceased to exist. And it is doubtful that humans will be an exception, even if we would like to believe that because we consider ourselves to be something special."

Apocalyptic subjects fascinate people. They are particularly popular in Hollywood. But what will become of the Earth if we suddenly disappear?

It can be assumed that humans will not live on this planet forever. End-time scenarios that outline the demise of humanity abound. Such apocalyptic topics are particularly popular in Hollywood. This is shown by blockbusters such as "Armageddon - The Last Judgment" and "The Day after Tomorrow" - or the hit series "The Walking Dead". But what exactly would happen if man no longer walked over this Earth?

 

HOURS LATER

Several hours after humans disappear from Earth, the lights will go out everywhere. Most power plants that run on fossil fuels would eventually run out without people. Wind turbines and solar panels don't work forever without maintenance. Almost every region will soon be without electricity, apart from those that are supplied by hydroelectric power plants. In the western United States, the generators of the Hoover Dam are operated by the waters of Lake Mead, which means that it can remain in operation for months or years.

 

DAYS LATER

After ten days, both domestic and farm animals will die. Those animals that can free themselves will have to prepare for a brutal struggle for survival. A month later, the cooling water in the nuclear power plants will have evaporated, which will result in a series of explosions - "more than in Fukushima and Chernobyl". Millions of animals will then die of cancer. "But the planet will recover quickly and easily from radioactive contamination." Grass and trees in a year will cover three quarters of all squares and walkways. 

 

YEARS LATER

Cities like Dubai and Las Vegas will become desert again. Three hundred years later, metal constructions such as the Eiffel Tower, steel bridges and buildings on the collars, will simply collapse. After 500 years, big cities will no longer be visible. Plastic disappears after 30 million years.

 

Ten thousand years later, only a few remnants of stone buildings will point to humanity. Except for plastic and glass. "In 15 million years, plastic bottles and glass will be the only traces of our existence." It would take another 15 million years before they also disappear. If there is a new rational species after 300 million or more years, it may not even know that there was a species like humans before.

The lifespan of nuclear weapons varies greatly: The shell of ICBMs would take around 5,000 years to rust. The weapons-grade plutonium-239 contained in many warheads with a half-life of 24 110 years would adjust to the natural background radiation of the Earth after around 250 000 years. The uranium-235 isotope, which is also used in nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors, has a half-life of 703.8 million years.

So our planet can survive quite well without humans, but we cannot live without it.