Planet Earth
a place of constant change in the hand of powerful being
us
hundreds of thousands of miles into space
and deep beneath the Earth surface we've created an amazing world
shaping continent
creating ingenious monuments
and transforming landscapes
but the only way to fully understand the scale of our influences
is to witness the world without it
if we suddenly disappear what would happen to our highways
cities
rivers
our greatest monuments
enter a desolate world
our world without humans
subtitle by seelenschneider
one minute from now
every single person on Earth will disappear
it doesn't matter how or that involve its
whats important is what would happen when we're gone
of the billions of people in the world half live in cities
farms and pastures cover a third of all dry land
we dammed and diverted half the world major rivers
500 million cars cloak the roads & highways
we've affected the air
the sea
and the land
but had we change the Earth forever?
if we vanished could the planet recover?
even erase all evidence that we ever existed
Friday, June 13
in Berlin it's 1.30 in the afternoon
across the atlantic, stock brokers getting early start on Wall Street
Las Vegas is anything but sleeping
and in Tokyo, parents took their kids in the bed
then suddenly, the human race comes to an end
every single person in every corner of the world
vanishes....
cities transform into ghost town
laughter linger only to become a quickly fading echo
things come to a shocking halt
the moment we disappear the world start to change
there's a eerie silence in cities that are suddenly a little cooler
the average human body puts out as much heat as 100 watt light bulb
take away 8 million people from NY
and the entire city cools down by a fraction of a degree
even though we're gone
the machines we left behind keep working
all over the world, hundreds of plane approaching airport runways
most descended over 100 mph and
today all with empty cockpits
every landing will end in a fireball
thousands of other planes fly through the sky on autopilot
many will stay in the air for a few more hours
but when the fuel runs out gravity will pull them back to Earth
in a world without humans
cities continue to function on thousands of automated system
computers keep in touch with hundreds of satellites
which would continue to transmit information across the globe
as long as the power stays on
power is generated by more than 50,000 power plants around the world
in the US coal fire plants produce half of the country electricity
to keep the fires burning they require a steady supplies of coal
but there would never be another delivery
the coal plant start to fail
the western grid is knocked out by rolling blackout
the shimmering light of Las Vegas will never shine again
the sun breakthrough the cloud in Pennsylvania quite still has it power
as temperature rise, automatic air condition is turn on
the need for electricity surges
this area relies on wind power in addition to coal
even without us the wind turbine are still running
so there's enough power to meet the new demand
but at a local power station there's no one to decide more power is needed
computers detect the problem and shutdown the entire system
Pennsylvania is now without power
Niagara falls, Canada
is home to one of the world first commercial hydro-electric plants
it provide power to more than 2 million homes
a mile upstream water surges into tunnels that sneak under the city
when it reaches the power plants
it drives the turbine and create electricity
less than 2 hours ago people work monitoring this powerful system
but with no one at the controls the turbines flood
and the plant shut itself down
seconds later blackout is sweep through part of Ontario and New York
the worldwide lost of electricity reaches the nuclear power plants
automated system detect the electrical grid is failing and they shut off the reactors
but this is just the beginning
six hours after humans disappear the sun goes down in Europe
the last power plants go offline
the dark ages are back
the sun is still shining on North America
and thousands of cars are still running
every gallon of gas they burn send 19 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air
this greenhouse gas can pollute the sky for the next 100 years
without us, another source of man made global warming is also disappearing
planes send out water vapor in their exhaust
and the cold day transforms the vapor into clouds
but as the last plane fall from the sky this man made clouds disappear with it
fuel stall jets aren't the only disaster rolling through this new world
all over the globe, industrial plants react to the permanent lost of power
some gasses need electricity to keep them cold enough to restore in liquid form
if they don't have power the cooling unit stop working
eventually, the liquid come to a boil and create dangerously high pressures
many tanks have relief valves to that gas to avoid explosion
but hundred of thousands tanks all venting at the same time is unimaginable
the gasses spread wherever the wind blows
and some are heavier than air
a danger to any creature that rouse around in the soil
the same chemicals that make the modern world possible
are now set loose to destroy it
emergency backup systems are sustaining the world's nuclear power plants
automatic diesel generators have kicked in to prevent a catastrophic meltdown
but the diesel fuel won't last forever
all over the world, pets are getting hungry
if they don't find food and water soon, they'll die
but they are not the only animals affected
the global power failure is also impact in zoos and safari parks
no longer contain by electric fences,
predators are free to explore their new world
and its dangerous
chlorine gas from a derailed train kill this herd of deer
changes are also taking place at some natural gas facilities
with a power off, the liquid natural gasses are starting to vent
but most of it is being burn off in automatic safety feature
designed to contain gas leak of plants
with the tanks venting the explosive gas can reach idling cars
left behind when their owner disappeared
it only takes one small spark and the new world echoes with explosion
and this is just the start
fires like this will burn for days as hundred of chemical plants
around the world send dangerous toxin into the air
in just six short hours, our disappearance
has triggered a serious of catastrophes around the world
and thus animals and atoms infiltrate this world without human
how much bigger disaster could be lump?
it's been 3 days since human's disappear from the Earth
power plants are failed
machines are ground to a halt
thousands of tons of toxic chemicals has escape from the world's plants
in London, England Big Ben is due for its winding
but without the help of human hand, it ring for the last time
human time and human history have stopped
but life on Earth continues
houses and apartments are still inhabited by increasingly hungry pets
it's been 3 days since anyone is phantom
so they devour anything they can find
in the US, tens of millions of dogs were trapped when their owner vanished
now they either have to breakout of their homes or die
with the failure of power plants around the globe
pets inherit a dog world
at nuclear power plants
emergency diesel generators started working as soon as the electricity failed
but without power, this building
and hundreds like it will soon calls an unprecedented disaster
this is the spent fuel handling building, where radioactive fuel is stored
in cooling pools after it use to generate power
the pool is 30 feet deep and fill with 400 tons of spent nuclear fuel
the result of atoms splitting to create nuclear energy
and split atom keep releasing heat and radiation
the spent fuel is contain in circular tubes
and they're dangerous
if they're not kept on under water they'll quickly heat up to 1000 degrees
they need to be kept
in flowing refrigerated water for years before they cool off
nuclear storage sites can be found all over the world
there are 75 in the US alone
the spent fuel is safe as long as the generator stay on
and keep the water cool
but if some one doesn't refill them they'll grain to a stack
and this time no one's coming
pets are now learning to live off the land
for some life was once rich with food and water
but now scrounging through garbage is what provide meals
as for water things have change down by the river
pumps at sewage treatment plant don't work without electricity
so raw human sewage is sipping into lakes and rivers
abandon pets aren't the only animals struggling to survive
the world is filled with cattle
1,4 billion of them and without humans
they too have been force to fend for them self
now that we're gone, 90,000 cows a day are safe from slaughter in the US
but dairy cows need 100 pounds of food and 25 gallons of water everyday to survive
with no electricity, their water supplies is drying up
the cows are on their own
in a cruel twist of fate they safe from the slaughter house
but they may all die from dehydration
and things don't look much better for zoo animals
trapped in their cages, many of them will die
but those once contained by electric fences are prisoners no more
they finally break free
elephants need up to 400 pounds of food a day
and finding it in the suburb will be a struggle
this enormous herbivore will give a serious prominent to each neighborhood they visit
predators also prowl the suburbs
this hungry lion have spotted another escapee from the zoo
but lions are skill hunter on savannah not in public parks
and climbing plastic is one challenge they can't win
with the baboon out of reach, they need to find some easier prey
camels on the other hand are having no problem finding food
they eat almost any vegetation grass, leafs, even thorns
that other animals avoid are on their menu
and with food in every turn, camels easily adapt to a world without humans
the lions have move from the park to the porch
as they continue their search for food
an unusual type
over head birds are migrating and without human around
many more will survive this year
at night birds use the stars to navigate
with the power on, lights and glowing skyscrapers resemble stars
so birds often circle them all night and die of exhaustion
but in a world without humans there is no power
so migrating birds fly more safely through major cities
millions will reach their destinations
their population will boom
all city streets, dogs have gone from pets to predators
within a week of loosing their human masters,
they forming packs and fighting for dominants
which has it happens in 2005 when hurricane Katrina
force human to evacuate New Orleans and leave many dogs behind
the dogs started hunting in packs and threatening humans
but not all dogs are equal
with more than 400 different breeds some variety like this puddle
don't have the size or strength to compete
and like wolves, dogs will kill their own
so every small dog is a potential meal
in next few weeks, most small dogs will be killed
at nuclear power plants, diesel generator are finally running out of fuel
the power goes off for good inside the spent fuel buildings
the cool waters stop flowing
a temperature start to rise
in just a few days, the water will boil and evaporate
and without people to stop it a nuclear disaster greater than the world
has ever seen is now inevitable
a massive dose of radiation 500 times greater
than what was unleashed on Hiroshima
will be released
dogs from the city are roaming the countryside looking for food
and they are hungry enough to try just about anything, even corpses
the field are littered with dead dairy cows
when we were around, dairy cows provided us with milk for 8,000 years
now their rotting carcasses will do nothing more than sustain hungry dogs
who just 2 weeks ago would probably eating comfortably from a can
not all cows are dead
in the wide open spaces of western north America
free range cattle ox thriving
but this scene can't be safe for the domesticated animals trapped in pens
1.4 billion chickens have die in the US
leaving only free range poultry to roam among the world full of predators
death is in the air
a time bomb ticks
this world without humans, is about to suffer devastating blows
ten days after human's disappear from the Earth
the power is off
cities are quiet
animals that escaped from zoos and safari parks roam free
but fight to survive
predators aren't a problem but we left behind other deadly forces
for days, super heated steam has been escaping
from the spent fuel building of this nuclear power plant
with no emergency power, there is nothing to keep the fuel from heating up
the fuel burns through casings and sets fire to everything in the room
radiation equal to 500 atomic bomb is about to explode
this is a nuclear disaster
and there's no one to stop it
a deathly mix of radioactive particles spews from the plant
some of them like Strontium-90 will be dangerous for 300 years
Plutonium will be radioactive for 240 thousand years
pine trees near the nuclear power plant are first to die
radioactive particles claim to their bark and resin
chlorophyll, which makes the trees green is damage, and as the result
they turn red
the last time a forest died like this was during the Chernobyl disaster in 1986
radiation contaminated an area of 50,000 square miles, the size of Alabama
in a world without humans, this scene is repeated again and again
nuclear power poisoned the Earth we left behind
there are six nuclear power plants in Illinois
radioactive smoke fills the street of Chicago
the site of the world first self sustaining nuclear reaction
fires breakout in many of the 30 nuclear plants located in eastern US
each one is almost 20 times more radioactive than the Chernobyl disaster
many of Europe's 173 reactors also ignited
their spent fuel burns
carry by the wind, the radiation is an invisible poison
that’s settle over a thousands square miles
if we were still on the planet it would cause cancer in millions of people
giant plumes of radioactive smoke and particles
spread across the northern hemisphere
winds push radiation away from the reactors in Europe
if conditions are right it could reach as far as north Africa
radiation from some of Japan's 53 reactors drift across the Pacific ocean
the world most remote islands are in its path
rain washes as much as the radiation from the sky
concentrating its deadly effects
some areas become more deadly than others
large animals flee areas where plants are die from radiation poisoning
but small creatures aren't that lucky
many lives on the forrest floor
where leafs and soil coated in radioactive particles
radioactive beta particles can only penetrate half an inch into living tissue
for large animals like deer their vital organ are spare a direct assault
but its different for small animals
their organs aren't so insulated
radiation cripples them
in the worse stage area over half of the rodents and insects die
for animals in the cities and suburbs
they had access to food that much less radioactive
groceries store can provided enough food for city mice to last for generation
they also make up perfect breeding ground
a female mouse can give birth to more than 70 offspring in a year
since radiation is killed many of the mice outside, this cat has indoors
where he just might get the 8 mice a day he need to stay healthy
humans need of variety of food to get all the fat, protein and vitamin we required
cats don't
they can produce their own vitamin C and they get the rest
by eating the organs and entrails of mice
all over the planet, animals are invading the human world to find food
and what we left behind will keep them alive
even as cloud of radiation spread
radiation has dissipated
cities are quiet and the atmosphere is improving
the air is clearer
in Manhattan and Toronto, the view has increase from 20 miles to 100
city dogs still roam the countryside looking for food
most of these former pets are far from skilled hunters
but if there're hungry enough they'll try to attack anything once
like wolves, dogs hunt by instinct
going for the legs or neck to bring down a large animal
but instinct is no match for the beast weighing thousands of pounds
the dogs aren't a threat
and without humans, the elephants are predator free
in just a few months, pets and zoo animals have become killers in a radioactive world
but another challenge is on the horizon
winter....
six months after humans disappear
it early December
in a world without us, former zoo animals and pets either adapted or die
in some parts of the world,
animals are about to face their next challenge
the coming winter...
a common misconception is that cockroach is can survive almost anything
but cockroaches are import from the tropic
and only spread north as we started to use central heating
with the electricity gone and the furnaces off
millions of cockroaches will be dead by the new year
for other animals, our sudden disappearance isn't a problem
it's an opportunity...
raccoons and squirrels are already know the best way to survive the cold
is to sleep through it...
and this winter, they have many new dens to choose from
there are drawer and sink rather sleeping outside
these squirrels are treat weller so they can pop upstairs
skunks on the other hand prefer the ground
hibernating animals don't need heat even when their body temperatures
drop to almost a freezing point
it's a survival strategy their ancestors evolve long ago
but this African elephant isn't equip to deal with frigid temperatures
his body evolve to get rid of heat not keep it
in Africa, his thin ears would have help him keep cool
but now they just getting frostbitten
to survive, he need to head south
after winter comes a spring like never before
in the forest near ruin nuclear power plants, it's a silence season
poisoned by radiation,
this evergreen have lost their ability to grow new shoots and branches
but further from the power plants
spring helps repair the damage we left behind
rain washes radioactive debris from the leafs and barks
poisonous atom are driven underground
there's still a threat to anything that lives there
but our radioactive finger print is starting to disappear
and that's not the only threat to animals that is vanish
without humans, there is no one to hunt
and a population explosion of animals takes over the empty spaces
this new world is filled with new opportunities
it's almost been a year since every car on Earth ran out of gas
in their last year on the road,
cars pump 7 billion tons of CO2 into the air
more than 1 ton for every person on Earth
this green house gas accounted for half of the impact human's heir on global warm
but now the CO2 will be cleaned up faster than ever before
in spring, new plants and leafs need carbon to grow
they draw it out of the air naturally cleansing a polluted planet
new trees soak up more carbon than old ones
this spring, nature has many new places to grow
but it has 10,000 years, we've been imposing our will on the planet
in downtown LA, 2/3 of the land is cover in roads and parking lots
we made our mark in the suburb too
in the US, lounges and golf courses cover an area bigger than Florida
now that we're gone, nature is reclaiming the Earth
nothing is immune
millions of miles of roads and highways
are slowly being invaded by moss and lichen
and all they usually need is water
cracked roads are filled in with moss and grass
a once carefully groom soccer field now grows wild
fast growing trees take roof where children once play
all this new plants allow nature to soak up
green house gasses like CO2 faster than when humans were here
year after year, our grip on the land is loosening
but humans also try to rule the sky
and now, even that reminder of our time on Earth may disappear
it's been 30 years since humans disappeared
at night, the only light comes from the moon and the stars
once Earth was so well lit it was easily seeing from space
but 30 years after the light went out
Earth inhabitants watch a new kind of light show
hundreds of strange shooting stars fly through the sky
a few even make it to the ground
the fiery wreckage contains clues that these are not normal meteorites
these shooting stars are some of the last survivors of the space age
humans left 25,000 objects orbiting the Earth
most of it was junk, clamps, pieces of a rockets
remnants left from our 50 years of working in space
and without us, there's nothing to keep it from falling back where it came from
when solar storm erupt on the surface of the sun
radiation expand to Earth atmosphere and slows orbiting satellites and space junk
gravity does the rest
satellites in higher orbit has been slowly spiraling closer
to the Earth for the last 30 years
now with dead batteries, they plummet to the ground
back on Earth, the world continues to change
human homes slowly collapse
plants and animals help speed up the process
for 3 decades, animals have now through roofs and walls
dirt and seed have blown into the houses
living room had become home for trees
rain falls into dinning rooms and kitchens
ceilings and floors rot and fall apart
school once talk about human tried over nature
but in just 30 years, nature reclaimings much of what humans took away
changes are specially obvious along the world's coast line
where we built many of our cities and homes
now, hurricane wash them away as if they never existed
from Miami to Halifax, mansions and are destroyed
man made global warming still affect the world ocean
even 30 years after people stop polluting them
while houses collapse on land remnants of the human world
create new home for marine life
at least 50,000 ships are strand along seashore are rusting on the seabed
these ship wrecks are a magnet for shark and fish
and they provide thousands of places for fish to live and breed
above the waves, nature advance continues
humans use 1/3 of all dry land for farms and pastures
but now, fields originally planted with single crops,
had been invaded by a variety of fast growing weeds and wild flowers
every year, forests expand their territory growing close to meadows, bushes and shrubs
it took us 10,000 years to force our will on the planet
carved our mark on every continent
now, nature is invading civilization citadel
the concrete jungle
welcome to a world 30 years after humans disappear
there is no power...
screech of cars and jets will never be heard again
but cities are still fill with life
wild dogs hunt in packs, roaming the roads and sidewalks we once roam
plants and trees are taking over...
NY's central park is actually getting bigger
dirt and seeds blow through the city and take root everywhere
Manhattan turns from grey to green
Times Square, once was a hotspot for millions
to celebrates the start of a new year
now, it's being engulfed by a blanket of green
nature is reclaiming the world, city by city...
in London, young trees sprout in Trafalgar Square
in Berlin, a forests surround the Brandenburg Gate
once the division of eastern West Germany
30 years after we disappear, glass tumble on the deserted street
once, glass covered office towers symbolize the modern age
there was more glass in one skyscraper
than all of the glass made during the Roman Empire
but most skyscrapers were build using cog and metal clips
to keep the windows in place
after 30 years, the clips are rusting for cogging cracks
water gets into the cracks and the frames get weak
the era of the gleaming skyscraper is ending...
high above them, hawks and other raptors are on patrol
keeping an eye out of first scampering prey
the concrete jungle is born...
relics of human existence slowly disintegrate
after years of neglect, paint peel away
raw metal is expose to the elements
rust spreads...
the steady advance of nature also damages concrete
this was once a train station crowded with commuters
now its concrete roof is falling apart
concrete is strong, but extremely pores
rain washes away the lime stone used to make it
stalactites grow a centimeter every year and then break off
slowly weakening the concrete
this roof will collapse in last than 20 years
humans maybe gone, but were still contributing to this destruction
we burn fossil fuel and pop tons of CO2 into the air for more than a 100 years
now, the planet is slowly getting rid of all pollution
as CO2 returns to Earth, it mixes with rain water and produces carbonic acid
which eats away at the world concrete
much of our modern world rose from concrete
now these soaring buildings engineering marvelous
are ready to fall
cities all over the world face the same faith
a slow disintegration...
without windows, high rise offices are now occupied by birds and animals
expose to the elements, ceiling, tile and dry wall
are no match for more than half a century of wind and rain
rust is everywhere...
moisture has penetrated the walls and doors and paint peels off every surface
but the damage goes deeper than that
a city like Paris, gets up to 25 inches of rain every year
now that the windows are gone nothing can stop the rain
from flooding the concrete skeleton of this office tower and creating cracks
the cracks are caused when CO2 penetrates the maze of microscopic pore in concrete
then its winds in until it reaches the rebar,
metal that gives reinforce concrete it strength
rebar is usually hidden from the outside world
but now the CO2 is causing the bars to rust
as the rust radiates out from the steel in expands,
splitting and cracking the concrete
the building is under attack from the inside out
cracks are appearing all over the world
and there's no one around to fix them
when people were on the planet problems like this would be repaired
but now, cracked concrete can't be reinforced or replaced
the damage runs on check
and the changing season only makes matters worse
as water turns to ice, it expand and puts more pressure on the crumbling buildings
the constant freezing and falling makes the cracks grow
in just 100 years, the concrete becomes
too fragile and brittle to support it's load
the upper floors collapse, and their combine weight
crushes the floors below
the building crumbles to the ground
our cities are disintegrating...
the planet is absorbing what we left behind
but buildings won't be the last human structures to fall
so man's greatest feature engineering maybe next...
for 120 years after humans disappear
many modern skyscrapers has collapse into hips of rubble
concrete walls had been destroyed by steady onslaught of air and rain
but the new landscape has made cities a little cooler
when we rule the planet heat from the sun
was soaked up by black roofs and roads
asphalt absorb 95% of the sun's light
black surfaces made city is up to 10 degree hotter than surrounding areas
but now that we're gone, asphalt is being covered by grasses and trees
shade keeps the ground cool
the temperature drops
the world's climate is changing...
man made global warming is finally coming to an end
thanks to ocean...
for the past 120 years, turning waves have absorb CO2
into the top layer of the seas
then, microscopic plankton and shell fish absorb it into their bodies
many died and sunk to the bottom of the ocean
taking our CO2 to the depths
after the last car stop running
much of their exhaust is finally being buried
our impact on the planet is decline...
the changes are being felt all around this new world
in Berlin, young trees attract new life
the saplings growing out of the concrete provide food for animals
but where there are deer hunters are sure to follow
these wolves have coming from the country
most of the wolves in Germany were killed by humans long ago
but these hunters are from Poland
and wolves aren't the only predators around
when we disappeared, millions of domesticated dogs
had to fight or die
at first, the dogs had enormous age in numbers
but they would facing a battle they couldn't win
many of the newly liberated pets were mutated
unable to reproduce, they lost their advantage and slowly died out
but not all dogs disappeared
those that manage to survive adapted to the new reality and mate it with wolves
now they look more like Australian dingos
medium size with straight hair and long snouts
genetically almost identical, dogs and wolves were kept apart by humans
but in the world without us, dog and wolf gen are mixing
a sheering the future of the K9 species
and this new generation is thriving in cities
120 years after humans disappear, thousands of wolves hunt across Europe
they need to eat every few days so they're lured by their prey
downtown...
the urban jungle becomes a new killing ground
there are some places getting colder and quieter than humans were here
with no black roads or roofs some cities definitely suffer the chill
in northern cities, more snow fall and stays longer
but pack of wolves and dogs still manage to find food through this cold winters
south of the freezing temperature are rivers
diverted by humans for power and commerce
this is the Thames river in London, England
humans try to tamed it for more than 1,000 years
once, the Thames was a gateway for thousands of ships
but its high tide and storm surges often threaten to flood the city
so one of the largest system of flood gate was built to hold the waters back
but without people, the river is out of control
tied of sub boats into bridges creating dam
and forcing the Thames to flow around them
the banks flooded
London returns to the marsh that the Roman found here 2,000 years ago
in the American southwest the problem is too little water
this is Imperial valley in southern California
once, it provided half of the America's winter fruits and vegetables
with 350 days of sunshine, some crops had 4 harvest a year
but only 3 inches of rain falls annually
the dry air helps preserve buildings but it's deadly for crops
people intervene to make this desert bloom
farmers brought in 977 billion gallons of water each year from the Colorado river
enough to cover every surrounding field in 6 feet of water
but when we disappeared, the irrigation stop
what was once California's farming miracle is now a barren desert
another man made oasis can be found 300 miles northeast
Las Vegas...
built in the middle of a desert each casinos and fountains
use water brought in by electric pumps
when the power went off, the tabs went dry
now, with just a few inches of rain a year the desert is reclaiming the city
but nature hasn't erase all evidence of our presence
this is a Colorado river
it hasn't change much in 150 years since we disappeared
but long ago, it was much deeper and stronger
it even help carved the grand canyon
today, the Colorado is still a shadow of its form itself
dozen of dams were built to harness it strength
and keep it from reaching the ocean as a torrent
humans also built reservoir to contain it massive power
and there the water will stay as long as the dam can hold the river back
with the advance of nature, one of man's greatest structure faces destruction
200 years after humans disappear
nature has taken over many of the world's cities
but some rivers has still shackle by concrete monoliths
dozen of dams still hold back the Colorado river
the largest of all is the Hoover dam, just 25 miles from Las Vegas
it's as tall as 70 storey building
with a base as thick as 2 football fields
enough concrete was pour to pave a highway from NY to San Fransisco
by blocking the Colorado river, the dam created the reservoir of lake Mead
there's enough water here to bury the state of New York under a foot of water
this is the water that once fed
the fountains and swimming pools of Las Vegas
the Hoover dam is mostly made of solid concrete
but even this mammoth monument is vulnerable
the reason lies up the Colorado river near the border of Arizona and Utah
this is the Glen canyon dam
it was created to store water for nearby city
and to generate electricity
but this dam has a major weakness
it spill ways, which act like an over flow drain on bathtub
if the river level gets too high the excess water escape through
the spill way tunnel, so it doesn't go over the top of the dam
but the spill ways can't handle sudden floods
the threat is high in the mountains
when winter storms produce unusually high snow fall
their heavy spring run off create surging flood waters
they rush head on to the dam
after rusting for 2 centuries, the gates that control the spill ways have collapse
the water races through 700 feet of tunnels deep inside the dam
and that's it does, it create a destructive pattern
a low pressure bubbles form in the water
when they pop, they causes supersonic explosion
that eat through the rock in to the dam
once, special concrete rams prevented this from happen
but after 200 years without humans erosion has taken over the tunnels
600 billion cubic feet of water burst through the dam and gushes down street
the surge is over 50 feet high
it sweeps through the Grand canyon toward the Hoover dam
which was built to hold back 45,000 pounds of water per square foot
this is it's greatest test yet
the water pours of the Hoover dam sweeping away everything in it's path
the Colorado river rages south 25 miles an hour
swooping dozens of dams on it's way
18 hours later it reaches the gulf of California
and for the first time in centuries, the Colorado river meets the ocean
as a flood, not a stream
the release of the Colorado will transform this part of north of America
fish from the ocean will come to this estuary to spawn
a fast marsh, once one of the wonders of the America's, will be revitalize
hundreds of species will find new home as rivers and ocean combine
nature is reclaiming the world
in France, part of Paris are marsh again
in California, irrigated fields have reverted to deserts
an Manhattan, is a forest
as altered rivers return to their natural state,
silt create new land
coast line's change
southern New Orleans over 200 square miles of sward land reemerges
lost with humans dammed the Mississippi
our sudden disappearances affecting the ocean too
once, we took 518 million pounds of fish from the sea every day
now, with no trollers to catch them fish live longer and grow bigger
Cod have tripled in size, growing from just a foot or two, up to six feet
much larger creatures are also recovering in our absence
whales are thriving after 200 years without people
and they had a lot to recover from
before the petroleum industry, whales were a major source
of oil for machines and lamps
most whales hunting declined when humans started
extracting oil from the ground
but many species remain on the brink of extinction for centuries to come
the reason, large modern ships
in our last 50 years on Earth the number of ships worldwide doubled
so did the noise they generated
some of the sound from this vessels carried for miles under the ocean
as a result, whales could no longer hear each others mating calls
and they're rely on sound to find mates up to a thousand miles away
with humans gone, whales mating song are being heard
from Canada to the Caribbean
after 200 years, our impact here is vanishing
the ocean once again teem with life
but our land, there are still relics of humanity that remain
we built symbol of our power when we rule the Earth
but how long were they last
which of our monuments will be the first to fall
in a world without humans
it is now 230 years after humans disappear
few signs remain that an intelligent created species once live here
one of the grandest is also one of the world
most recognizable modern monuments
the Eiffel tower...
over a thousand feet tall it was constructed in 1889
for a world exhibition and was meant to be torn down 20 years later
but a French fell in love with the tower
and it became one of the most famous landmark in the world
this 19th century marvel of construction was design by bridge builders
and it's been standing now for centuries outlast the even modern skyscrapers
the later structures gives the tower strength without using much metal
and the entire tower weight just 7,300 tons
when people were still around the Eiffel tower was covered
in 60 tons of paint to protect it from the elements
but 230 years of weather has taken it's toll
rain has fling away the paint
rust eats away at the tower's iron
with every rain storm, the entire structure erodes and becomes more brittle
now the tower is vulnerable even to moderate winds
normally, it's support beams can withstand this wind, but now they're too weak
3 century after it's built the tower comes crushing down
Paris's landscape changes forever...
monuments and buildings can't adapted this new world
they're frozen by the technique used to create them
but species can evolve as conditions change
here in the forest of Paris, animals that we left behind have adapted
most of these pigs are descendant of pink pigs
they thrive in the shadow of the ruin of Eiffel tower
this feral pigs bred with surviving domesticated ones
to create a hardy tough animal with dark fur
they are survivors in the new world without us
even while the modern world collapses around them
those that adapt survive
another symbol of human's ingenuity stands on the other side of the Atlantic
how is it change in the 230 years since we vanished
the statue of Liberty was built in 1886 of massive copper plates
she's 3 years older than the Eiffel tower
since humans disappeared, some parts of her are tearing better than before
acid rain used to eat away at her skin
stripping her of 1 pound of copper every year
pollution coded her nose and cheek with black grain
but cleaner skies
have led to a cleaner statue
Liberty's skin has been from the absence of humans
but other parts of her body haven't
over the centuries of forrest has grown up around her
and it's littered with copper plates
the plates are about as thick as 2 pennies and can last a thousand years
so why is the statue of Liberty loosing her skin
after 230 years, the statue's arm has finally collapse
if copper is the statue skin, iron bars are it's skeleton
and like the Eiffel tower, this iron bars have rusted through
the shoulder bars became too weak to hold up the arm and it's torch
now this symbol of freedom is only visible to wild life
this statue's arm and torch were first to fall
but that was just the beginning
more than 200 years have taken their toll on some of most iconic monuments
it's only a matter of time before they disappear... forever
signs of the human species are becoming harder to find
in north America
the eastern half of the continent is covered by immense forests
without us to cutting down, trees have growing 90 feet tall
and blocking the sun light
but the trees do more than tower above all suburbs and roads
they buried them
after 230 years, falling leafs have created 3 feet of new soil
and covered nearly everything we left behind
occasionally, rains fall and streams reveal the remains of human existence
this is all that's left of our home
centuries after the wooden being and floors rotted away
plastics from modern houses also litters the ground
this cellphone is still intact more than 200 years after the last phone call
it may survive for centuries
most metal have rusted through but stainless steel is truly stainless
this kitchen sink may lasts for thousands of years
but for animals to lasts,
some need to adapt
in the west, caribou and deer roam over millions of acre of former farm land
and once again, so do the thunderous hoofs of bison
their herds can grow by 30 % a year
from a species of a half of million their numbers are now
reaching into the tens of millions
other creatures also adapt the savannah of the American west
this vary beasts are the descendents of millions of beef cattle
their ancestors mated it with highland cows a breed insulated with fur, not fat
horses evolved here long before humans arrive
and once again they run wild and free
in just 230 years, north America has buried human homes
and loses some of the most price monuments
and time doesn't stop
so nothing can prevent what a thousand years without us will break
1,000 years after every human disappear from Earth
the iron of the Eiffel tower is almost gone
it has slowly eroded and become part of the sand
in New York, the statue of Liberty has fallen into the forest
her iron skeleton finally gave away and her body collapse
but her pedestal, still tower above the trees around it
made of solid concrete and granite it will lasts thousands of years
but time can wipe away all evidence of humanity
especially as the world turns colder
a new ice age grips the planet
gradual changes in the Earth's orbit take it further from the sun
snow will stay on the ground in northern cities for 2 summers in a row
then a chain reaction causes ice to cover most of the northern hemisphere
it will stay here for the next 100,000 years
once again, glaciers travel south and eventually reach Manhattan
they'll grind down what's left of the statue of Liberty
and then the other sign of human civilization left in the north
but there is one place our imprint will remain in definitely
the Moon
unlike Earth, the Moon's landscape changes very slowly
craters more than 4 billion years old are still preserve
along with some human artifacts
a car...
a television cam...
the only reminders of the human species that will lasts for millions of years
aren't even found on Earth
planet Earth is 4.5 billion years old
in that context, human civilization is just a blink of an eye
it took us 10,000 years to cut down half of the world's forests
but after we disappeared, they grow back in just 500 years
once, we used half of all fresh water
and change the course of half of the world's major rivers
but some dam were washed away in just 200 years
we pumped 13.5 billion tons of CO2 into the air each year
but in just a couple hundred years
plants and ocean were scrubbing the Earth clean
it took just over a century for our major cities to start crumbling
for forests and swarms, to cover what was used to be concrete and asphalt
the planet was even able to handle the nuclear legacy we left behind
after we disappeared, thousands of tons of radioactive particle were released
but nature was able to bury most of it
and some animal species not only survive,
they thrived
Earth, is resilient
in time, it cleaned up every mess we left behind
all we had to do, was get out of the way
subtitle by seelenschneider