What would happen to Earth if humans went extinct?

Aug 16, 2020
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Very interesting observations. But what I find most interesting is the perspective and the tone of the author, as well as the contributor, regarding the subject. First and foremost, the title is humorous because it implies that there is some scenario in which homo sapiens will NEVER go extinct. Our species, like millions before us, will certainly go extinct one day. Period. The second item I find interesting is the way the author, like so many environmentally concerned thinkers, pit "Nature" against humans. Does he mean to say humans are supernatural, and did not evolve as an intrinsic part of nature? I have no doubt that humans have been taking a larger and larger degree of control of our macroscopic environment for thousands of years, but I am just as certain that other species would (and do) fill any gaps immediately. Humans have been winning the struggle for dominance only if you look at coral, rhinos, spotted owls, etc. Those horrible things that might happen if humans suddenly went away - should not concern us, because we will be gone! And if extra radiation lasts 100,000 years, that is the blink of an eye for mother Earth, and far less damage than would be caused by a major asteroid or megavolcano. Many species - viruses, bacteria, fungi, insects - are doing fine and will do just fine with or without homo sapiens!

I cannot help to see that environmental science writers, no matter how scientific and objective they claim to be, continue to hold the (often unconscious) bias that humans are outside of nature. Once upon a time deep thinkers of all cultures attributed this separateness to a belief in superiority of humans due to their relationship with their deity(ies), and those deities bestowed caretaker duties on humans, and just humans. Now, in the twenty first century, even the most ardently atheist scientists cannot seem to shake this intrinsic bias that humans are not part of Nature but the anointed custodian of Nature, a concept that originates in the religions whose tenets they try to deny.
 
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Aug 17, 2020
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Lacking human oversight, glitches in oil refineries and nuclear plants could lead to fires, nuclear explosions and fallout.

What would happen to Earth if humans went extinct? : Read more
Earth would flourish. It appears the vast over population and pollution of the world is the result of over thirty millennia of struggle to reach the Moon and determine its nature. The oldest drawings of phases of the Moon are 32,000 years old. They are so important in this context that even NASA posts them on its website. It was like, $%*% the torpedoes, come hell or high water, it's been full speed ahead since that drawing was created. The present muddling is caused by capitalism without any goal. It's back to nature and the farm for us.
 

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Earth would flourish. It appears the vast over population and pollution of the world is the result of over thirty millennia of struggle to reach the Moon and determine its nature. The oldest drawings of phases of the Moon are 32,000 years old. They are so important in this context that even NASA posts them on its website. It was like, $%*% the torpedoes, come hell or high water, it's been full speed ahead since that drawing was created. The present muddling is caused by capitalism without any goal. It's back to nature and the farm for us.
Earth might flourish however it might take a truly life ending cataclysm to destroy all humans including those protected in space
 
Aug 17, 2020
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Because by exploration we live and provide life for our children. This care or drive is built into our DNA, when you look into your own eyes in your Son you will understand, not before
But if humans went extinct then there would be no children to provide life for and no one to pass knowledge on to. If humans went extinct then the state of the earth would be of no consequence to us because we wouldn't exist. So why should anyone care about what would happen to the earth after we no longer exist?
 

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But if humans went extinct then there would be no children to provide life for and no one to pass knowledge on to. If humans went extinct then the state of the earth would be of no consequence to us because we wouldn't exist. So why should anyone care about what would happen to the earth after we no longer exist?
Wrong, see kid humans will soon not all be confined to Earth, and there is no clear evidence that humans are from Earth in the first place. You do understand that the reason for a mars colony is so that the earth becomes less important and eventually not needed
 
Aug 21, 2020
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In the US, the History channel had a 2 season run of a show that explored this very topic. The show was called "Life After People" and proposed to show what would happen if the human race suddenly disappeared. Some of the episodes are on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJl__NWyfBPpplckd2J9a01UHV1nXMc3L. All 20 episodes seem to be available for viewing from https://www.history.com/shows/life-after-people.
From that site the series description is:
"On the heels of the History channel special that explored what Earth might be like if the human race were suddenly to disappear comes a series that provides, in even-more detail, a picture of a post-human future, revealing the fate of structures like the Sears Tower and the Sistine Chapel and creatures that might inherit the places we once lived. Supporting the visuals and special effects are interviews with specialists from the fields of engineering, botany, biology, geology and archaeology. "
 
Jan 21, 2020
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“Lacking human oversight, glitches in oil refineries and nuclear plants would go unchecked, likely resulting in massive fires, nuclear explosions and devastating nuclear fallout. "There's going to be a gush of radiation if suddenly we disappear.”

Sigh, here we go again, more nuclear nonsense in a science site no less.
Where to begin…
A) Nuclear power plants cannot produce a nuclear explosion, ever! The fuel they use is simply not enriched enough, it’s already fissioning about as fast as it can in the power plant.
B) Left unattended Nuclear Power Plants will automatically shut down.
C) If the power were to go out on the main grid to the Nuclear Power Plant and after backup generators run out of fuel then you could get a meltdown and a steam explosion. However this should not cause a large release of radiation as this will be mostly contained by the large containment building surrounding the reactor. It should also be noted than big power producers like Hoover Dam and etc… are designed to run for YEARS unattended. Doesn’t mean that a Nuclear Power Plant won’t fall victim to a local break in power but it certainly is feasible that the plant could have power for a long time allowing the reactor pool to cool quite a bit before interruption.
D) Now there will probably be some radiation released after a steam explosion but most likely on the scale of Three Mile Island (tiny amount) or Fukijima , in other words, not very much. Even a few Chernobyls on the global scale of things would not be devastating.
Realty is we are not looking at a “gush of radiation” if we suddenly disappear.

It’s sad a science site would print such sensationalistic garbage.