Original subtitles

Planet Earth

a place of constant change in the hand of powerful being

us

hundreds of thousands of miles into space

and deep beneath the Earth surface we've created an amazing world

shaping continent

creating ingenious monuments

and transforming landscapes

but the only way to fully understand the scale of our influences

is to witness the world without it

if we suddenly disappear what would happen to our highways

cities

rivers

our greatest monuments

enter a desolate world

our world without humans

subtitle by seelenschneider

one minute from now

every single person on Earth will disappear

it doesn't matter how or that involve its

whats important is what would happen when we're gone

of the billions of people in the world half live in cities

farms and pastures cover a third of all dry land

we dammed and diverted half the world major rivers

500 million cars cloak the roads & highways

we've affected the air

the sea

and the land

but had we change the Earth forever?

if we vanished could the planet recover?

even erase all evidence that we ever existed

Friday, June 13

in Berlin it's 1.30 in the afternoon

across the atlantic, stock brokers getting early start on Wall Street

Las Vegas is anything but sleeping

and in Tokyo, parents took their kids in the bed

then suddenly, the human race comes to an end

every single person in every corner of the world

vanishes....

cities transform into ghost town

laughter linger only to become a quickly fading echo

things come to a shocking halt

the moment we disappear the world start to change

there's a eerie silence in cities that are suddenly a little cooler

the average human body puts out as much heat as 100 watt light bulb

take away 8 million people from NY

and the entire city cools down by a fraction of a degree

even though we're gone

the machines we left behind keep working

all over the world, hundreds of plane approaching airport runways

most descended over 100 mph and

today all with empty cockpits

every landing will end in a fireball

thousands of other planes fly through the sky on autopilot

many will stay in the air for a few more hours

but when the fuel runs out gravity will pull them back to Earth

in a world without humans

cities continue to function on thousands of automated system

computers keep in touch with hundreds of satellites

which would continue to transmit information across the globe

as long as the power stays on

power is generated by more than 50,000 power plants around the world

in the US coal fire plants produce half of the country electricity

to keep the fires burning they require a steady supplies of coal

but there would never be another delivery

the coal plant start to fail

the western grid is knocked out by rolling blackout

the shimmering light of Las Vegas will never shine again

the sun breakthrough the cloud in Pennsylvania quite still has it power

as temperature rise, automatic air condition is turn on

the need for electricity surges

this area relies on wind power in addition to coal

even without us the wind turbine are still running

so there's enough power to meet the new demand

but at a local power station there's no one to decide more power is needed

computers detect the problem and shutdown the entire system

Pennsylvania is now without power

Niagara falls, Canada

is home to one of the world first commercial hydro-electric plants

it provide power to more than 2 million homes

a mile upstream water surges into tunnels that sneak under the city

when it reaches the power plants

it drives the turbine and create electricity

less than 2 hours ago people work monitoring this powerful system

but with no one at the controls the turbines flood

and the plant shut itself down

seconds later blackout is sweep through part of Ontario and New York

the worldwide lost of electricity reaches the nuclear power plants

automated system detect the electrical grid is failing and they shut off the reactors

but this is just the beginning

six hours after humans disappear the sun goes down in Europe

the last power plants go offline

the dark ages are back

the sun is still shining on North America

and thousands of cars are still running

every gallon of gas they burn send 19 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air

this greenhouse gas can pollute the sky for the next 100 years

without us, another source of man made global warming is also disappearing

planes send out water vapor in their exhaust

and the cold day transforms the vapor into clouds

but as the last plane fall from the sky this man made clouds disappear with it

fuel stall jets aren't the only disaster rolling through this new world

all over the globe, industrial plants react to the permanent lost of power

some gasses need electricity to keep them cold enough to restore in liquid form

if they don't have power the cooling unit stop working

eventually, the liquid come to a boil and create dangerously high pressures

many tanks have relief valves to that gas to avoid explosion

but hundred of thousands tanks all venting at the same time is unimaginable

the gasses spread wherever the wind blows

and some are heavier than air

a danger to any creature that rouse around in the soil

the same chemicals that make the modern world possible

are now set loose to destroy it

emergency backup systems are sustaining the world's nuclear power plants

automatic diesel generators have kicked in to prevent a catastrophic meltdown

but the diesel fuel won't last forever

all over the world, pets are getting hungry

if they don't find food and water soon, they'll die

but they are not the only animals affected

the global power failure is also impact in zoos and safari parks

no longer contain by electric fences,

predators are free to explore their new world

and its dangerous

chlorine gas from a derailed train kill this herd of deer

changes are also taking place at some natural gas facilities

with a power off, the liquid natural gasses are starting to vent

but most of it is being burn off in automatic safety feature

designed to contain gas leak of plants

with the tanks venting the explosive gas can reach idling cars

left behind when their owner disappeared

it only takes one small spark and the new world echoes with explosion

and this is just the start

fires like this will burn for days as hundred of chemical plants

around the world send dangerous toxin into the air

in just six short hours, our disappearance

has triggered a serious of catastrophes around the world

and thus animals and atoms infiltrate this world without human

how much bigger disaster could be lump?

it's been 3 days since human's disappear from the Earth

power plants are failed

machines are ground to a halt

thousands of tons of toxic chemicals has escape from the world's plants

in London, England Big Ben is due for its winding

but without the help of human hand, it ring for the last time

human time and human history have stopped

but life on Earth continues

houses and apartments are still inhabited by increasingly hungry pets

it's been 3 days since anyone is phantom

so they devour anything they can find

in the US, tens of millions of dogs were trapped when their owner vanished

now they either have to breakout of their homes or die

with the failure of power plants around the globe

pets inherit a dark world

at nuclear power plants

emergency diesel generators started working as soon as the electricity failed

but without power, this building

and hundreds like it will soon calls an unprecedented disaster

this is the spent fuel handling building, where radioactive fuel is stored

in cooling pools after it use to generate power

the pool is 30 feet deep and fill with 400 tons of spent nuclear fuel

the result of atoms splitting to create nuclear energy

and split atom keep releasing heat and radiation

the spent fuel is contain in circular tubes

and they're dangerous

if they're not kept on under water they'll quickly heat up to 1000 degrees

they need to be kept

in flowing refrigerated water for years before they cool off

nuclear storage sites can be found all over the world

there are 75 in the US alone

the spent fuel is safe as long as the generator stay on

and keep the water cool

but if some one doesn't refill them they'll grain to a stack

and this time no one's coming

pets are now learning to live off the land

for some life was once rich with food and water

but now scrounging through garbage is what provide meals

as for water things have change down by the river

pumps at sewage treatment plant don't work without electricity

so raw human sewage is sipping into lakes and rivers

abandon pets aren't the only animals struggling to survive

the world is filled with cattle

1,4 billion of them and without humans

they too have been force to fend for them self

now that we're gone, 90,000 cows a day are safe from slaughter in the US

but dairy cows need 100 pounds of food and 25 gallons of water everyday to survive

with no electricity, their water supplies is drying up

the cows are on their own

in a cruel twist of fate they safe from the slaughter house

but they may all die from dehydration

and things don't look much better for zoo animals

trapped in their cages, many of them will die

but those once contained by electric fences are prisoners no more

they finally break free

elephants need up to 400 pounds of food a day

and finding it in the suburb will be a struggle

this enormous herbivore will give a serious prominent to each neighborhood they visit

predators also prowl the suburbs

this hungry lion have spotted another escapee from the zoo

but lions are skill hunter on savannah not in public parks

and climbing plastic is one challenge they can't win

with the baboon out of reach, they need to find some easier prey

camels on the other hand are having no problem finding food

they eat almost any vegetation grass, leafs, even thorns

that other animals avoid are on their menu

and with food in every turn, camels easily adapt to a world without humans

the lions have move from the park to the porch

as they continue their search for food

an unusual type

over head birds are migrating and without human around

many more will survive this year

at night birds use the stars to navigate

with the power on, lights and glowing skyscrapers resemble stars

so birds often circle them all night and die of exhaustion

but in a world without humans there is no power

so migrating birds fly more safely through major cities

millions will reach their destinations

their population will boom

all city streets, dogs have gone from pets to predators

within a week of loosing their human masters,

they forming packs and fighting for dominants

which has it happens in 2005 when hurricane Katrina

force human to evacuate New Orleans and leave many dogs behind

the dogs started hunting in packs and threatening humans

but not all dogs are equal

with more than 400 different breeds some variety like this puddle

don't have the size or strength to compete

and like wolves, dogs will kill their own

so every small dog is a potential meal

in next few weeks, most small dogs will be killed

at nuclear power plants, diesel generator are finally running out of fuel

the power goes off for good inside the spent fuel buildings

the cool waters stop flowing

a temperature start to rise

in just a few days, the water will boil and evaporate

and without people to stop it a nuclear disaster greater than the world

has ever seen is now inevitable

a massive dose of radiation 500 times greater

than what was unleashed on Hiroshima

will be released

dogs from the city are roaming the countryside looking for food

and they are hungry enough to try just about anything, even corpses

the field are littered with dead dairy cows

when we were around, dairy cows provided us with milk for 8,000 years

now their rotting carcasses will do nothing more than sustain hungry dogs

who just 2 weeks ago would probably eating comfortably from a can

not all cows are dead

in the wide open spaces of western north America

free range cattle ox thriving

but this scene can't be safe for the domesticated animals trapped in pens

1.4 billion chickens have die in the US

leaving only free range poultry to roam among the world full of predators

death is in the air

a time bomb ticks

this world without humans, is about to suffer devastating blows

ten days after human's disappear from the Earth

the power is off

cities are quiet

animals that escaped from zoos and safari parks roam free

but fight to survive

predators aren't a problem but we left behind other deadly forces

for days, super heated steam has been escaping

from the spent fuel building of this nuclear power plant

with no emergency power, there is nothing to keep the fuel from heating up

the fuel burns through casings and sets fire to everything in the room

radiation equal to 500 atomic bomb is about to explode

this is a nuclear disaster

and there's no one to stop it

a deathly mix of radioactive particles spews from the plant

some of them like Strontium-90 will be dangerous for 300 years

Plutonium will be radioactive for 240 thousand years

pine trees near the nuclear power plant are first to die

radioactive particles claim to their bark and resin

chlorophyll, which makes the trees green is damage, and as the result

they turn red

the last time a forest died like this was during the Chernobyl disaster in 1986

radiation contaminated an area of 50,000 square miles, the size of Alabama

in a world without humans, this scene is repeated again and again

nuclear power poisoned the Earth we left behind

there are six nuclear power plants in Illinois

radioactive smoke fills the street of Chicago

the site of the world first self sustaining nuclear reaction

fires breakout in many of the 30 nuclear plants located in eastern US

each one is almost 20 times more radioactive than the Chernobyl disaster

many of Europe's 173 reactors also ignited

their spent fuel burns

carry by the wind, the radiation is an invisible poison

that’s settle over a thousands square miles

if we were still on the planet it would cause cancer in millions of people

giant plumes of radioactive smoke and particles

spread across the northern hemisphere

winds push radiation away from the reactors in Europe

if conditions are right it could reach as far as north Africa

radiation from some of Japan's 53 reactors drift across the Pacific ocean

the world most remote islands are in its path

rain washes as much as the radiation from the sky

concentrating its deadly effects

some areas become more deadly than others

large animals flee areas where plants are die from radiation poisoning

but small creatures aren't that lucky

many lives on the forest's floor

where leafs and soil are coated in radioactive particles

radioactive beta particles can only penetrate half an inch into living tissue

for large animals like deer, their vital organ are spare a direct assault

but its different for small animals

their organs aren't so insulated

radiation cripples them

in the worse stage area over half of the rodents and insects die

for animals in the cities and suburbs

they had access to food that much less radioactive

groceries store can provided enough food for city mice to last for generation

they also make up perfect breeding ground

a female mouse can give birth to more than 70 offspring in a year

since radiation is killed many of the mice outside, this cat has indoors

where he just might get the 8 mice a day he need to stay healthy

humans need of variety of food to get all the fat, protein and vitamin we required

cats don't

they can produce their own vitamin C and they get the rest

by eating the organs and entrails of mice

all over the planet, animals are invading the human world to find food

and what we left behind will keep them alive

even as cloud of radiation spread

radiation has dissipated

cities are quiet and the atmosphere is improving

the air is clearer

in Manhattan and Toronto, the view has increase from 20 miles to 100

city dogs still roam the countryside looking for food

most of these former pets are far from skilled hunters

but if there're hungry enough they'll try to attack anything once

like wolves, dogs hunt by instinct

going for the legs or neck to bring down a large animal

but instinct is no match for the beast weighing thousands of pounds

the dogs aren't a threat

and without humans, the elephants are predator free

in just a few months, pets and zoo animals have become killers in a radioactive world

but another challenge is on the horizon

winter....

six months after humans disappear

it early December

in a world without us, former zoo animals and pets either adapted or die

in some parts of the world,

animals are about to face their next challenge

the coming winter...

a common misconception is that cockroach is can survive almost anything

but cockroaches are import from the tropic

and only spread north as we started to use central heating

with the electricity gone and the furnaces off

millions of cockroaches will be dead by the new year

for other animals, our sudden disappearance isn't a problem

it's an opportunity...

raccoons and squirrels are already know the best way to survive the cold

is to sleep through it...

and this winter, they have many new dens to choose from

there are drawer and sink rather sleeping outside

these squirrels are treat weller so they can pop upstairs

skunks on the other hand prefer the ground

hibernating animals don't need heat even when their body temperatures

drop to almost a freezing point

it's a survival strategy their ancestors evolve long ago

but this African elephant isn't equip to deal with frigid temperatures

his body evolve to get rid of heat not keep it

in Africa, his thin ears would have help him keep cool

but now they just getting frostbitten

to survive, he need to head south

after winter comes a spring like never before

in the forest near ruin nuclear power plants, it's a silence season

poisoned by radiation,

this evergreen have lost their ability to grow new shoots and branches

but further from the power plants

spring helps repair the damage we left behind

rain washes radioactive debris from the leafs and barks

poisonous atom are driven underground

there's still a threat to anything that lives there

but our radioactive finger print is starting to disappear

and that's not the only threat to animals that is vanish

without humans, there is no one to hunt

and a population explosion of animals takes over the empty spaces

this new world is filled with new opportunities

it's almost been a year since every car on Earth ran out of gas

in their last year on the road,

cars pump 7 billion tons of CO2 into the air

more than 1 ton for every person on Earth

this green house gas accounted for half of the impact human's heir on global warm

but now the CO2 will be cleaned up faster than ever before

in spring, new plants and leafs need carbon to grow

they draw it out of the air naturally cleansing a polluted planet

new trees soak up more carbon than old ones

this spring, nature has many new places to grow

but it has 10,000 years, we've been imposing our will on the planet

in downtown LA, 2/3 of the land is cover in roads and parking lots

we made our mark in the suburb too

in the US, lounges and golf courses cover an area bigger than Florida

now that we're gone, nature is reclaiming the Earth

nothing is immune

millions of miles of roads and highways

are slowly being invaded by moss and lichen

and all they usually need is water

cracked roads are filled in with moss and grass

a once carefully groom soccer field now grows wild

fast growing trees take roof where children once play

all this new plants allow nature to soak up

green house gasses like CO2 faster than when humans were here

year after year, our grip on the land is loosening

but humans also try to rule the sky

and now, even that reminder of our time on Earth may disappear

it's been 30 years since humans disappeared

at night, the only light comes from the moon and the stars

once Earth was so well lit it was easily seeing from space

but 30 years after the light went out

Earth inhabitants watch a new kind of light show

hundreds of strange shooting stars fly through the sky

a few even make it to the ground

the fiery wreckage contains clues that these are not normal meteorites

these shooting stars are some of the last survivors of the space age

humans left 25,000 objects orbiting the Earth

most of it was junk, clamps, pieces of a rockets

remnants left from our 50 years of working in space

and without us, there's nothing to keep it from falling back where it came from

when solar storm erupt on the surface of the sun

radiation expand to Earth atmosphere and slows orbiting satellites and space junk

gravity does the rest

satellites in higher orbit has been slowly spiraling closer

to the Earth for the last 30 years

now with dead batteries, they plummet to the ground

back on Earth, the world continues to change

human homes slowly collapse

plants and animals help speed up the process

for 3 decades, animals have now through roofs and walls

dirt and seed have blown into the houses

living room had become home for trees

rain falls into dinning rooms and kitchens

ceilings and floors rot and fall apart

school once talk about human tried over nature

but in just 30 years, nature reclaims much of what humans took away

changes are specially obvious along the world's coast line

where we built many of our cities and homes

now, hurricane wash them away as if they never existed

from Miami to Halifax, mansions and are destroyed

man made global warming still affect the world ocean

even 30 years after people stop polluting them

while houses collapse on land remnants of the human world

create new home for marine life

at least 50,000 ships are strand along seashore are rusting on the seabed

these ship wrecks are a magnet for shark and fish

and they provide thousands of places for fish to live and breed

above the waves, nature advance continues

humans use 1/3 of all dry land for farms and pastures

but now, fields originally planted with single crops,

had been invaded by a variety of fast growing weeds and wild flowers

every year, forests expand their territory growing close to meadows, bushes and shrubs

it took us 10,000 years to force our will on the planet

carved our mark on every continent

now, nature is invading civilization citadel

the concrete jungle

welcome to a world 30 years after humans disappear

there is no power...

screech of cars and jets will never be heard again

but cities are still fill with life

wild dogs hunt in packs, roaming the roads and sidewalks we once roam

plants and trees are taking over...

NY's central park is actually getting bigger

dirt and seeds blow through the city and take root everywhere

Manhattan turns from grey to green

Times Square, once was a hotspot for millions

to celebrates the start of a new year

now, it's being engulfed by a blanket of green

nature is reclaiming the world, city by city...

in London, young trees sprout in Trafalgar Square

in Berlin, a forests surround the Brandenburg Gate

once the division of eastern West Germany

30 years after we disappear, glass tumble on the deserted street

once, glass covered office towers symbolize the modern age

there was more glass in one skyscraper

than all of the glass made during the Roman Empire

but most skyscrapers were build using cog and metal clips

to keep the windows in place

after 30 years, the clips are rusting for cogging cracks

water gets into the cracks and the frames get weak

the era of the gleaming skyscraper is ending...

high above them, hawks and other raptors are on patrol

keeping an eye out of first scampering prey

the concrete jungle is born...

relics of human existence slowly disintegrate

after years of neglect, paint peel away

raw metal is expose to the elements

rust spreads...

the steady advance of nature also damages concrete

this was once a train station crowded with commuters

now its concrete roof is falling apart

concrete is strong, but extremely pores

rain washes away the lime stone used to make it

stalactites grow a centimeter every year and then break off

slowly weakening the concrete

this roof will collapse in last than 20 years

humans maybe gone, but were still contributing to this destruction

we burn fossil fuel and pop tons of CO2 into the air for more than a 100 years

now, the planet is slowly getting rid of all pollution

as CO2 returns to Earth, it mixes with rain water and produces carbonic acid

which eats away at the world concrete

much of our modern world rose from concrete

now these soaring buildings engineering marvelous

are ready to fall

cities all over the world face the same faith

a slow disintegration...

without windows, high rise offices are now occupied by birds and animals

expose to the elements, ceiling, tile and dry wall

are no match for more than half a century of wind and rain

rust is everywhere...

moisture has penetrated the walls and doors and paint peels off every surface

but the damage goes deeper than that

a city like Paris, gets up to 25 inches of rain every year

now that the windows are gone nothing can stop the rain

from flooding the concrete skeleton of this office tower and creating cracks

the cracks are caused when CO2 penetrates the maze of microscopic pore in concrete

then its winds in until it reaches the rebar,

metal that gives reinforce concrete it strength

rebar is usually hidden from the outside world

but now the CO2 is causing the bars to rust

as the rust radiates out from the steel in expands,

splitting and cracking the concrete

the building is under attack from the inside out

cracks are appearing all over the world

and there's no one around to fix them

when people were on the planet problems like this would be repaired

but now, cracked concrete can't be reinforced or replaced

the damage runs on check

and the changing season only makes matters worse

as water turns to ice, it expand and puts more pressure on the crumbling buildings

the constant freezing and falling makes the cracks grow

in just 100 years, the concrete becomes

too fragile and brittle to support it's load

the upper floors collapse, and their combine weight

crushes the floors below

the building crumbles to the ground

our cities are disintegrating...

the planet is absorbing what we left behind

but buildings won't be the last human structures to fall

so man's greatest feature engineering maybe next...

for 120 years after humans disappear

many modern skyscrapers has collapse into heaps of rubble

concrete walls had been destroyed by steady onslaught of air and rain

but the new landscape has made cities a little cooler

when we rule the planet heat from the sun

was soaked up by black roofs and roads

asphalt absorb 95% of the sun's light

black surfaces made city is up to 10 degree hotter than surrounding areas

but now that we're gone, asphalt is being covered by grasses and trees

shade keeps the ground cool

the temperature drops

the world's climate is changing...

man made global warming is finally coming to an end

thanks to ocean...

for the past 120 years, turning waves have absorb CO2

into the top layer of the seas

then, microscopic plankton and shell fish absorb it into their bodies

many died and sunk to the bottom of the ocean

taking our CO2 to the depths

after the last car stop running

much of their exhaust is finally being buried

our impact on the planet is decline...

the changes are being felt all around this new world

in Berlin, young trees attract new life

the saplings growing out of the concrete provide food for animals

but where there are deer hunters are sure to follow

these wolves have coming from the country

most of the wolves in Germany were killed by humans long ago

but these hunters are from Poland

and wolves aren't the only predators around

when we disappeared, millions of domesticated dogs

had to fight or die

at first, the dogs had enormous age in numbers

but they would facing a battle they couldn't win

many of the newly liberated pets were mutated

unable to reproduce, they lost their advantage and slowly died out

but not all dogs disappeared

those that manage to survive adapted to the new reality and mate it with wolves

now they look more like Australian dingos

medium size with straight hair and long snouts

genetically almost identical, dogs and wolves were kept apart by humans

but in the world without us, dog and wolf gen are mixing

a sharing the future of the K9 species

and this new generation is thriving in cities

120 years after humans disappear, thousands of wolves hunt across Europe

they need to eat every few days so they're lured by their prey

downtown...

the urban jungle becomes a new killing ground

there are some places getting colder and quieter than humans were here

with no black roads or roofs some cities definitely suffer the chill

in northern cities, more snow fall and stays longer

but pack of wolves and dogs still manage to find food through this cold winters

south of the freezing temperature are rivers

diverted by humans for power and commerce

this is the Thames river in London, England

humans try to tamed it for more than 1,000 years

once, the Thames was a gateway for thousands of ships

but its high tide and storm surges often threaten to flood the city

so one of the largest system of flood gate was built to hold the waters back

but without people, the river is out of control

tied of sub boats into bridges creating dam

and forcing the Thames to flow around them

the banks flooded

London returns to the marsh that the Roman found here 2,000 years ago

in the American southwest the problem is too little water

this is Imperial valley in southern California

once, it provided half of the America's winter fruits and vegetables

with 350 days of sunshine, some crops had 4 harvest a year

but only 3 inches of rain falls annually

the dry air helps preserve buildings but it's deadly for crops

people intervene to make this desert bloom

farmers brought in 977 billion gallons of water each year from the Colorado river

enough to cover every surrounding field in 6 feet of water

but when we disappeared, the irrigation stop

what was once California's farming miracle is now a barren desert

another man made oasis can be found 300 miles northeast

Las Vegas...

built in the middle of a desert each casinos and fountains

use water brought in by electric pumps

when the power went off, the tabs went dry

now, with just a few inches of rain a year the desert is reclaiming the city

but nature hasn't erase all evidence of our presence

this is a Colorado river

it hasn't change much in 150 years since we disappeared

but long ago, it was much deeper and stronger

it even help carved the grand canyon

today, the Colorado is still a shadow of its form itself

dozen of dams were built to harness it strength

and keep it from reaching the ocean as a torrent

humans also built reservoir to contain it massive power

and there the water will stay as long as the dam can hold the river back

with the advance of nature, one of man's greatest structure faces destruction

200 years after humans disappear

nature has taken over many of the world's cities

but some rivers has still shackle by concrete monoliths

dozen of dams still hold back the Colorado river

the largest of all is the Hoover dam, just 25 miles from Las Vegas

it's as tall as 70 storey building

with a base as thick as 2 football fields

enough concrete was pour to pave a highway from NY to San Fransisco

by blocking the Colorado river, the dam created the reservoir of lake Mead

there's enough water here to bury the state of New York under a foot of water

this is the water that once fed

the fountains and swimming pools of Las Vegas

the Hoover dam is mostly made of solid concrete

but even this mammoth monument is vulnerable

the reason lies up the Colorado river near the border of Arizona and Utah

this is the Glen canyon dam

it was created to store water for nearby city

and to generate electricity

but this dam has a major weakness

it spill ways, which act like an over flow drain on bathtub

if the river level gets too high the excess water escape through

the spill way tunnel, so it doesn't go over the top of the dam

but the spill ways can't handle sudden floods

the threat is high in the mountains

when winter storms produce unusually high snow fall

their heavy spring run off create surging flood waters

they rush head on to the dam

after rusting for 2 centuries, the gates that control the spill ways have collapse

the water races through 700 feet of tunnels deep inside the dam

and that's it does, it create a destructive pattern

a low pressure bubbles form in the water

when they pop, they causes supersonic explosion

that eat through the rock in to the dam

once, special concrete rams prevented this from happen

but after 200 years without humans erosion has taken over the tunnels

600 billion cubic feet of water burst through the dam and gushes down street

the surge is over 50 feet high

it sweeps through the Grand canyon toward the Hoover dam

which was built to hold back 45,000 pounds of water per square foot

this is it's greatest test yet

the water pours of the Hoover dam sweeping away everything in it's path

the Colorado river rages south 25 miles an hour

swooping dozens of dams on it's way

18 hours later it reaches the gulf of California

and for the first time in centuries, the Colorado river meets the ocean

as a flood, not a stream

the release of the Colorado will transform this part of north of America

fish from the ocean will come to this estuary to spawn

a fast marsh, once one of the wonders of the America's, will be revitalize

hundreds of species will find new home as rivers and ocean combine

nature is reclaiming the world

in France, part of Paris are marsh again

in California, irrigated fields have reverted to deserts

an Manhattan, is a forest

as altered rivers return to their natural state,

silt create new land

coast line's change

southern New Orleans over 200 square miles of swamp land reemerges

lost with humans dammed the Mississippi

our sudden disappearances affecting the ocean too

once, we took 518 million pounds of fish from the sea every day

now, with no trollers to catch them fish live longer and grow bigger

Cod have tripled in size, growing from just a foot or two, up to six feet

much larger creatures are also recovering in our absence

whales are thriving after 200 years without people

and they had a lot to recover from

before the petroleum industry, whales were a major source

of oil for machines and lamps

most whales hunting declined when humans started

extracting oil from the ground

but many species remain on the brink of extinction for centuries to come

the reason, large modern ships

in our last 50 years on Earth the number of ships worldwide doubled

so did the noise they generated

some of the sound from this vessels carried for miles under the ocean

as a result, whales could no longer hear each others mating calls

and they're rely on sound to find mates up to a thousand miles away

with humans gone, whales mating song are being heard

from Canada to the Caribbean

after 200 years, our impact here is vanishing

the ocean once again teem with life

but our land, there are still relics of humanity that remain

we built symbol of our power when we rule the Earth

but how long were they last

which of our monuments will be the first to fall

in a world without humans

it is now 230 years after humans disappear

few signs remain that an intelligent created species once live here

one of the grandest is also one of the world

most recognizable modern monuments

the Eiffel tower...

over a thousand feet tall it was constructed in 1889

for a world exhibition and was meant to be torn down 20 years later

but a French fell in love with the tower

and it became one of the most famous landmark in the world

this 19th century marvel of construction was design by bridge builders

and it's been standing now for centuries outlast the even modern skyscrapers

the later structures gives the tower strength without using much metal

and the entire tower weight just 7,300 tons

when people were still around the Eiffel tower was covered

in 60 tons of paint to protect it from the elements

but 230 years of weather has taken it's toll

rain has fling away the paint

rust eats away at the tower's iron

with every rain storm, the entire structure erodes and becomes more brittle

now the tower is vulnerable even to moderate winds

normally, it's support beams can withstand this wind, but now they're too weak

3 century after it's built the tower comes crushing down

Paris's landscape changes forever...

monuments and buildings can't adapted this new world

they're frozen by the technique used to create them

but species can evolve as conditions change

here in the forest of Paris, animals that we left behind have adapted

most of these pigs are descendant of pink pigs

they thrive in the shadow of the ruin of Eiffel tower

this feral pigs bred with surviving domesticated ones

to create a hardy tough animal with dark fur

they are survivors in the new world without us

even while the modern world collapses around them

those that adapt survive

another symbol of human's ingenuity stands on the other side of the Atlantic

how is it change in the 230 years since we vanished

the statue of Liberty was built in 1886 of massive copper plates

she's 3 years older than the Eiffel tower

since humans disappeared, some parts of her are tearing better than before

acid rain used to eat away at her skin

stripping her of 1 pound of copper every year

pollution coded her nose and cheek with black grain

but cleanest skies

have led to a cleanest statue

Liberty's skin has been afflicted from the absence of humans

but other parts of her body haven't

over the centuries of forest has grown up around her

and it's littered with copper plates

the plates are about as thick as 2 pennies and can last a thousand years

so why is the statue of Liberty loosing her skin

after 230 years, the statue's arm has finally collapse

if copper is the statue skin, iron bars are it's skeleton

and like the Eiffel tower, this iron bars have rusted through

the shoulder bars became too weak to hold up the arm and it's torch

now this symbol of freedom is only visible to wild life

this statue's arm and torch were first to fall

but that was just the beginning

more than 200 years have taken their toll on some of most iconic monuments

it's only a matter of time before they disappear... forever

signs of the human species are becoming harder to find

in north America

the eastern half of the continent is covered by immense forests

without us to cutting down, trees have growing 90 feet tall

and blocking the sun light

but the trees do more than tower above all suburbs and roads

they buried them

after 230 years, falling leafs have created 3 feet of new soil

and covered nearly everything we left behind

occasionally, rains fall and streams reveal the remains of human existence

this is all that's left of our home

centuries after the wooden being and floors rotted away

plastics from modern houses also litters the ground

this cellphone is still intact more than 200 years after the last phone call

it may survive for centuries

most metal have rusted through but stainless steel is truly stainless

this kitchen sink may lasts for thousands of years

but for animals to lasts,

some need to adapt

in the west, caribou and deer roam over millions of acre of former farm land

and once again, so do the thunderous hoofs of bison

their herds can grow by 30 % a year

from a species of a half of million their numbers are now

reaching into the tens of millions

other creatures also adapt the savannah of the American west

this vary beasts are the descendents of millions of beef cattle

their ancestors mated it with highland cows a breed insulated with fur, not fat

horses evolved here long before humans arrive

and once again they run wild and free

in just 230 years, north America has buried human homes

and loses some of the most price monuments

and time doesn't stop

so nothing can prevent what a thousand years without us will break

1,000 years after every human disappear from Earth

the iron of the Eiffel tower is almost gone

it has slowly eroded and become part of the sand

in New York, the statue of Liberty has fallen into the forest

her iron skeleton finally gave away and her body collapse

but her pedestal, still tower above the trees around it

made of solid concrete and granite it will lasts thousands of years

but time can wipe away all evidence of humanity

especially as the world turns colder

a new ice age grips the planet

gradual changes in the Earth's orbit take it further from the sun

snow will stay on the ground in northern cities for 2 summers in a row

then a chain reaction causes ice to cover most of the northern hemisphere

it will stay here for the next 100,000 years

once again, glaciers travel south and eventually reach Manhattan

they'll grind down what's left of the statue of Liberty

and then the other sign of human civilization left in the north

but there is one place our imprint will remain in definitely

the Moon

unlike Earth, the Moon's landscape changes very slowly

craters more than 4 billion years old are still preserve

along with some human artifacts

a car...

a television cam...

the only reminders of the human species that will lasts for millions of years

aren't even found on Earth

planet Earth is 4.5 billion years old

in that context, human civilization is just a blink of an eye

it took us 10,000 years to cut down half of the world's forests

but after we disappeared, they grow back in just 500 years

once, we used half of all fresh water

and change the course of half of the world's major rivers

but some dam were washed away in just 200 years

we pumped 13.5 billion tons of CO2 into the air each year

but in just a couple hundred years

plants and ocean were scrubbing the Earth clean

it took just over a century for our major cities to start crumbling

for forests and swarms, to cover what was used to be concrete and asphalt

the planet was even able to handle the nuclear legacy we left behind

after we disappeared, thousands of tons of radioactive particle were released

but nature was able to bury most of it

and some animal species not only survive,

they thrived

Earth, is resilient

in time, it cleaned up every mess we left behind

all we had to do, was get out of the way

subtitle by seelenschneider