LJ Idol - Topic 4 - 28 Years Later

[aggienaut]

   The Colorado River had been a ghost of its former self. For generations during the height of human civilization just five percent of the water that once flowed through the Colorado Delta actually made it to the sea. Even this water was almost entirely agricultural waste. The delta itself, once a lush green marshland of extreme ecological value, was reduced to mostly dried mud flats.
   One day, however, a stream of fresh clear water begins to flow again. The flow increases over the coming weeks until the thirsty delta is once again filled with clean water from half a continent away. Many species have been lost forever in the last century, but those that remain quickly bounce back to recreate the lush habitat that once was.

   Some 300 miles to the northwest, the suburbs of Los Angeles are vibrant with life. Rabbits and deer chew on the grass growing between cracks on the freeways, and the abundant shrubs in former lawns. Former housecats stalk the former pet rabbits, to in turn be chased by dogs. Native bobcats, coyotes and cougars prowl the bounty as well.
   Birds flutter in and out of holes in roofs, and in the evening bats stream out of the shattered windows of houses to be silhouetted against the monolithic hulks of skyscrapers. Possums trundle among the calcified human skeletons in the shrubbery, searching for tasty snails to snack on.

---

   I recently read World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide, both by Max Brooks. They were a fun read, but I had a major complaint with one aspect of his vision of the coming zombie apocalypse (Don't worry I don't think this is a critical spoiler) -- with humans being overrun by zombies he describes complete environmental destruction. The environment is completely devastated somehow by the upheaval of human civilization in his books.
   I think this is a fair bit daft since one of the greatest "extinction events" in history is the very existence of humans. There's even a word for it -- the holocene extinction event. It's estimated 140,000 species a year are currently becoming extinct, with possibly a loss of half of all species by 2100.
   Even if you suppose the collapse of civilization entailed nuclear meltdowns, well, see this quote from wikipedia about the Zone of Exclusion around Chernobyl --

There have been reports that wildlife has flourished due to significant reduction of human impact.[3] For this reason, the zone is considered by some as a classic example of an involuntary park. Populations of traditional Polesian animals (like wolves, wild boar and Roe Deer), red deer, moose, and beaver have multiplied enormously and begun expanding outside the zone. The area also houses flocks of European wisent and Przewalski's Horses released there after the accident. Even extremely rare lynx have appeared, and there are reports of tracks from brown bear, an animal not seen in the area for several centuries.

   Basically, most animals simply don't live long enough for the lingering effects of a nuclear event to significantly effect them. Or at least, a nuclear holocaust is not as bad for wildlife as the regular activities of people are.

   I think I may need to write my own zombie apocalypse book, where the zombie apocalypse actually returns the world's environments to equilibrium.

---

   Several houses on the end of a suburban cul-de-sac have had the fences between them removed and around them reinforced to create a modern hunter-gatherer village out of decaying upper-middle-class homes. Around 100 people live inside the complex. They hunt for food and cook it on a fire pit that once was a jacuzzi. They still have guns to hunt with and clothing that was made of durable synthetic fabrics during the high point of human civilization, but in time they'll run out of bullets, and their denim and gortex will wear out, and they will have to re-learn how to make their own tools and clothing. Already they have a younger generation among them that will never know facebook, wikipedia, and blogging.
   The evening sun sparkles off the remaining windows of the skyscrapers of Los Angeles to the north. Sadly, the sunset actually isn't as beautiful as it once was when the air was full of colourful pollutants.
   A villager looks up at the distant tower and regards it as a solemn reminder of the beauty of how advanced civilization once had been. He then returns to a life that has much more in common with the way humans lived for most of the 200,000 years they've been on this Earth.

Comments

[stormkitty.livejournal.com]

There was a series on the Discovery Channel called "Life After People" and it showed that if we were to all disappear, the time line for nature to reclaim the world. It was really interesting.

[faerie-spark.livejournal.com]

very well written.

I don't like to imagine the extinction of humans, but I agree that such extinction would not necessarily warrant environmental decay. After all, it is our overpopulation and industrialization of the world that has caused so much damage.

I like your perspective and you have a terrific way with words.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

yeah I believe there's a book by that name out there by some professor, I really want to read it. One of these days..

[pavel-lishin.livejournal.com]

Every time Chernobyl is mentioned, I have to point people to this great illustration: http://keiththompsonart.com/pages/pripyatbeast.html

The guy is a great artist. Check out his other stuff, too.

[shadowwolf13]

This is a really interesting look at nature and how things are. Thank you!

[furzicle.livejournal.com]

Interesting that we both chose to write about the devastating aspect of devastating beauty.

[alycewilson.livejournal.com]

Fascinating! I like the final picture; it fits well.

So how long are you in Philly?

[rejeneration.livejournal.com]

World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide are so good, aren't they?! I love them! And these pictures in here? They're awesome!

[cacophonesque.livejournal.com]

Really loved the way that you set this up! The imagery of the beginning and the end was beautiful and compelling. And the analysis in the middle was spot on. I haven't read either of those books, but I'm sure that I'd have had the same complaint.

I saw someone else mentioned "Life After People" but there was also a show on NGC called "Aftermath: Population Zero" which was really cool.

[mstrobel.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, those photographs are stunning. I want to go to those places and see them myself and then sit down and write about them.

"a nuclear holocaust is not as bad for wildlife as the regular activities of people are."

Gotta admit that made me shudder.

[sherriola.livejournal.com]

I always look forward to reading your entries. As usual, this one was fascinating and vivid, making me think and making me see the scenes you describe with such fantastic words.

[beautyofgrey.livejournal.com]

I am happy that someone is keeping the Zombie Apocalypse going this week. :)

[joeymichaels.livejournal.com]

cacophonesque and I discussed your entry a bit over in the voting update. I agree on all points. Well done.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

"a nuclear holocaust is not as bad for wildlife as the regular activities of people are."

Gotta admit that made me shudder.

It's scary because it's totally true!


And thanks. I love travelling and seeing the sights like this. Both those pictures are from previous trips I went on ("Epic Roadtrip 2007" & "Epic Roadtrip 2008," respectively) (:

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

(: Have there been other zombie entries?


Also I think it's kind f funny I wrote a zombie apocalypse entry that doesn't actually have any zombies in it :D

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (:

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (:

[baxaphobia.livejournal.com]

One thing about your entries, I always come away with interesting factoids! I like this1

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

emo_snal: twice you doctor recommended daily diet of FACTS! (:


But yeah. 5%. That's how much of the water that once came through the Colorado River Delta now does.

[baxaphobia.livejournal.com]

To quote Mr. Spock..."fascinating"

[mstrobel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, boy people really suck. We're wiping out SO MUCH and it's horrifying. And so many don't seem to care. Sure, tear down that forest where those native birds live to build a new motorway ...

[imafarmgirl.livejournal.com]

I love this entry!

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (:

[walkertxkitty.livejournal.com]

The Colorado River problem is one I'm intimately familiar with. There have been people advocating for the removal of some of the dams and other interferences and new regulation of irrigation for decades. It's a shame that none of that advocacy has been effective.

Nature is so quick to take back its own. Here in Florida a mere six months after something is cleared, nature begins encroaching again. I've seen, in the ten years I've been here, an entire burnt swath of blackness revert to the Florida prairie it once was (a lot of the trees here are invasive).

Beautiful photos, as always.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Neat that it comes back so quickly. Unfortunate that there's so many invasive species.

In California's Sacramento River Delta there's currently some controversy between ecological preservation or harvesting the water. On the one hand California could really use the water, but on the other hand the ecosystem would of course suffer significant damage The environmental legislation has already been passed protecting several species in the delta, so for once it's the ecosystem that is currently protected and development trying to finagle it's dark tentacles in, and not the other way around.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (:

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Such sauce!

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

No problem, thanks for reading and commenting. I think it's really interesting to consider that "modern society" as we know it really has only existed for a tiny moment in time compared to the other 200,000 years we were essentially in equilibrium with the environment and didn't rock the boat

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I was trying to decide what picture to include and I suddenly remembered it with a great "AHA!" These trips are good for SOMETHING! :D

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (: Yeah I love reading about and contemplating the coming zombie apocalypse. I do rather want to write my own zombie novel some day.

In unrelated news, I noticed your entry took place in Egypt ... I don't know if you noticed but I was in, and posted my last LJI entry from, Cairo just last week. Are you Egyptian and/or have spent time there?