Food for Thought

What would happen if all humans vanished from Earth? This is the fascinating premise of Alan Weisman’s new book The World Without Us.

A TIMELINE FOR THE FALL OF NEW YORK

2 DAYS AFTER THE DISAPPEARANCE OF HUMANS Without constant pumping, New York City's subway system completely fills with water.

7 DAYS Nuclear reactors burn or melt down as their water-cooling systems fail.

1 YEAR Street pavements split and buckle as water in the cracks freezes and thaws.

2 TO 4 YEARS In New York and other cities, cracked streets become covered with weeds and, later, colonizing trees whose roots upheave sidewalks and wreak havoc with already damaged sewers.

4 YEARS Without heat, homes and office buildings fall victim to the freeze/thaw cycle and begin to crumble.

5 YEARS Large parts of New York may be burned by now; a lightning strike on uncollected dead branches in Central Park could easily start a catastrophic fire.

20 YEARS Dozens of streams and marshes form in Manhattan as collapsed streets fill with water.

100 YEARS The roofs of nearly all houses have caved in, accelerating the deterioration of the structures.

500 YEARS Mature forests cover the New York metropolitan area.