by Helen Abbott

Created on: March 21, 2009

This documentary was based on the fantasy situation that one day people just disappeared. Over 6 billion people suddenly were no more. The scenario of the destruction of humanity has been explored in many forms for centuries however this film is about the natural destruction of the world. If humans disappear, which animals would take over? How long before our structures crumble? What traces of our existence would survive? The documentary was truly fascinating, using CGI alongside expert opinions to give a glimpse into what life would be like after people starting at 1 day, then a week, then 10 years, 20 years, 50 years, 100 years, 1000 years to 10,000 years.

Confronting the notion of what would survive of humanity is a very humbling thing to do. We realize that very few things indeed would last. Books would decay from mould and be destroyed. Digital technology such as DVDs and compact discs would also perish. Iron structures would corrode and concrete would crumble. Nature would swallow up our cars, our homes, our cities and every trace that we once existed. Although this documentary does not dwell on the current hot topic of our society, that of Global Warming, there is a lesson to be learnt: nature cannot be contained. Nature will overpower mankind as it will overpower the remains of our civilisations. We have sadly been forgetting this fact. For example, without humans to repaint and maintain a building such as the Seattle Space Needle even a small gust of wind will cause this iconic addition to the city's landscape to topple into oblivion.

At 20 years into this hypothetical scenario we are taken to modern day Prypiat in Ukraine. In 1986, when the Chernobyl nuclear power station this city was evacuated and abandoned over night. For over 20 years this city has been left to ruin. There are no inhabitants but the wild animals that have made this forgotten place their home. The city is a ghost town, with nature roaming free among the decaying buildings. This picture - http://www.janikarvonen.com/digicam/10-12.6.2005_Ukr aine/145_Pripyat_amusement_park_cars_02.jpg - shows Prypiat amusement park. Due to be opened 4 days after the Chernobyl disaster these unused bumper cars are mere skeletons in this landscape. This is not a scenario; it is a very real place on Earth today. Prypiat and the Chernobyl catastrophe is proof of the fragility of humankind.

So with all this destruction what would survive? The film discusses household pets. Cats would roam free. Easily capable

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