Alan Weisman's The World Without Us
NEIRAD enilno edition
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The one true issue with environmentalism today is that it truly doesn't relate to the everyday person. Look at global warming as an example. For those of us who accept its existence (and this article is not about to delve into that argument), we know that it is bad. We have seen the graphs indicating the rise in greenhouse gases. We have seen satellite images of decreasing ice caps. We have seen former-Vice President Al Gore plugging away at the issue in his bid for the Nobel Peace Prize. But what we haven't seen is how the issue truly relates to me. Or you. Or any individual for that matter.
Still using global warming as an example, we understand the data, but we don't really see the ultimate effects. We vaguely know that there will be flooding, some species will die off, maybe a climate shift or two, but honestly, those general ideals are motivating the median American demographic to take change. With the continuation of such general habits, the whole issue of environmentalism seems hopelessly skewed. However, a few weeks ago when I picked up The World Without Us by Alan Weisman, my perspective on the methodology of environmentalism changed.
The World Without Us is a novel that essentially refrains from deviating from its title. It describes, an Earth without us. In one of the most interesting thought experiments since Einstein's relativity experiments, Weisman envisions what might happen to humanity's dwellings and infrastructure if we were to suddenly disappear from the earth. While Weisman avoids the entire reasoning behind our sudden disappearance from earth, the conclusions he derives inspire a new set of ideals behind modern environmentalism.
But before we go into that, let's look at a few of his conclusions. Using an un-maintained New York City as a key example, Weisman creates a timeline to explain the ultimate degradation of this city.
Two Days After Human Disappearance (AHD): without daily maintenance, the pumping systems of the New York Metro line would fail and the lines would be completely submerged in water. Two to four years AHD: small plant growth would emerge in cracks in sidewalks; holes would begin to form in streets as they cave into subway lines.
Five years AHD: at this point, without an active fire department, major portions of the city would have burned down to fires caused by lightening or other natural means.
Three hundred years AHD: the iron suspension wiring of the Brooklyn Bridge would have eroded to the point where the bridge would have collapsed; the two towers of the bridge will stand longer due to their stone construction.
Five hundred years AHD: greenery will have covered most surfaces in Manhattan; skyscrapers will have been reduced to steel innards; cathedrals such as St. John the Divine will remain intact due to stone construction. 15,000 years AHD: glaciers once again cover Manhattan.
I would be lying straight through the paper if I said that I am an avid reader of environmental literature. Quite frankly, the news blurbs I read on AOL News are enough for my naturalist appetite. However, what really struck me about The World Without Us is that, unlike other books/newspaper bylines/photo captions I have read about environmental issues, the book truly examines how nature acts on places and things that are very personal. As opposed to making wide generalizations about how the earth would gradually re-grow many of its lost forests, Weisman examines how your house might fare 500 years without regular maintenance (and if you were wondering, it doesn't fare very well).
Weisman brings Mother Nature up close and personal to you, and through his various examples, evokes the idea that our world has not become irreparable. Our mighty bastions of human ingenuity and power will all ultimately fall victim to the weathering of nature and time. The seemingly interminable infrastructure that our society thrives upon is built upon the fragility of maintenance individuals.
For this reason, as well as its fundamentally fascinating topic, The World Without Us by Alan Weisman is definitely one for the summer reading list. If a thought experiment as interesting as this were imprinted upon the minds of every member of our society, perhaps we might realize the fragility of our world and how dastardly our environmental actions can be.
