With settlements on every continent,

在各個大陸上都可見到人類的定居

we can be found in the most isolated corners of Earth's jungles,

甚至是在地球上最荒蕪的叢林

oceans,

海洋

and tundras.

及凍原

Our impact is so profound, most scientists believe

我們的影響力十分巨大，大部份的科學家相信

humanity has left a permanent mark on Earth's geological record.

人類在地球的地理歷史上留下了永久的印記

So what would happen if suddenly, every human on Earth disappeared?

如果地球上的人類都突然不見了的話，會發生什麼事？

With no one maintaining them, some of our creations backfire immediately.

我們的一些發明在無人維護後馬上停止了運作

Hours after we disappear, oil refineries malfunction,

我們消失後的幾個小時後，煉油廠出現故障

producing month-long blazes at plants like the ones in western India,

在某些地區引發長達數月的猛烈大火，包含西印度

the southern United States,

美國南部

and South Korea.

及南韓

In underground rail systems like those in London,

在有地下鐵道系統的城市，例如倫敦、

Moscow,

莫斯科、

and New York City,

及紐約

hundreds of drainage pumps are abandoned, flooding the tunnels in just three days.

由上百個廢棄排洩泵排出的水將在三日內淹沒隧道

By the end of the first week, most emergency generators have shut down,

在第一個禮拜結束之際，大部份的緊急發電機都停止運作

and once the fires have gone out,

一旦有火警發生

the earth goes dark for the first time in centuries.

整個地球將從數個世紀以來，第一次陷入黑暗

After the first catastrophic month, changes come more gradually.

在歷經毀滅性的第一個月之後，地球的變化逐漸變得更加明顯。

Within 20 years, sidewalks have been torn apart by weeds and tree roots.

在 20 年內，人行道被雜草及樹根摧殘

Around this time,

在這個期間

flooded tunnels erode the streets above into urban rivers.

隧道中的淹水將街道沖刷成都市河流

In temperate climates,

在溫帶氣候的地區

the cycle of seasons freezes and thaws these waterways,

四季的週期不停的結凍又解凍這些水道，

cracking pavement and concrete foundations.

破壞了路面和混凝土地基

Leaking pipes cause the same reaction in concrete buildings,

失修的水管對水泥大樓造成了相同的影響

and within 200 winters, most skyscrapers buckle and tumble down.

在歷經 200 個冬天前，大部份的摩天大樓開始變形然後崩蹋

In cities built in river deltas like Houston,

如果是在三角洲沿岸的城市，例如休士頓

these buildings eventually wash away completely —

這些建築物使終會被全部沖刷掉 —

filling nearby tributaries with crushed concrete.

粉碎的水泥塊將會填滿其他支流

Rural and suburban areas decay more slowly,

農村和郊區的衰退速度較慢

but in largely unsurprising ways.

這完全不令人驚訝

Leaks, mold, bug and rodent infestations —

漏水、壁癌、昆蟲及鼠患 —

all the usual enemies of the homeowner —

平時家中被束縛已久的敵人們 —

now go uncontested.

現在全部獲得自由

Within 75 years, most houses' supporting beams have rotted and sagged,

在 75 年內，大部份的房屋樑架已經腐壞變形

and the resulting collapsed heap is now home to local rodents and lizards.

房屋的殘骸現在都已變成當地老鼠及壁虎的家

But in this post-human world, “local”has a new meaning.

但是在這個後人類世界，「當地」有了新的意義

Our cities are full of imported plants,

我們的城市充斥著進口植物

which now run wild across their adopted homes.

現在已經沒有束縛，生長在各地

Water hyacinth coat the waterways of Shanghai in a thick green carpet.

滿滿的水葫蘆為上海水道蓋上一條厚重的綠色地毯

Poisonous giant hogweeds overgrow the banks of London's Thames River.

劇毒大豬草長滿了倫敦泰晤士河的堤岸

Chinese Ailanthus trees burst through New York City streets.

中國臭椿貫穿了紐約街道

And as sunken skyscrapers add crumbled concrete to the new forest floor,

倒塌的摩天大樓為新的都會叢林鋪好了新的地基

the soil acidity plummets,

土壤酸鹼度降低

potentially allowing new plant life to thrive.

讓土壤中的新生命得以茁壯成長

This post-human biodiversity extends into the animal kingdom, as well.

後人類世界的生物多樣性增加，其中當然也包括動物王國

Animals follow the unchecked spread of native and non-native plants,

動物像原生及非原生植物那樣不受限制的繁衍，

venturing into new habitats with the help of our leftover bridges.

藉由人類留下的橋樑得以冒險進入新的棲息地

In general, our infrastructure saves some animals and dooms others.

整體來說，我們的基礎建設在拯救動物的同時，也在摧毀他們

Cockroaches continue to thrive in their native tropical habitats,

蟑螂繼續在他們的原生熱帶棲息地快樂過活

but without our heating systems,

但是由於少了我們的供熱系統

their urban cousins likely freeze and die out in just two winters.

他們在城市的表兄弟可能會在兩個冬天後凍死然後絕種

And most domesticated animals are unable to survive without us —

大部份被訓養的動物在少了我們之後無法存活 —

save for a handful of resourceful pigs, dogs, and feral housecats.

除了少數聰明的豬、狗和野生家貓

Conversely, the reduced light pollution saves over a billion birds each year

相反的光害的減少能每年拯救超過 10 億隻的鳥

whose migrations were disrupted by blinking communication tower lights

以往，通訊塔燈的燈光以及高壓電線

and high-tension wires.

導致他們的遷移受到破壞

And mosquitos multiply endlessly in one of their favorite manmade nurseries —

蚊子在他們最喜歡的人造小天堂中不斷繁殖 —

rubber tires, which last for almost a thousand years.

也就是在放一千年都不會腐爛的塑膠輪胎

As fauna and flora flourish,

隨著動植物繁盛

Earth's climate slowly recovers from millennia of human impact.

地球的氣候從人類帶來的數千年影響中慢慢恢復

Within 35,000 years,

在 35,000 年內

the plant cycle removes the last traces of lead

植物的生命循環將會帶走由於工業革命，

left by the Industrial Revolution from Earth's soil,

而在地球土壤所留下的鉛

and it may take up to 65,000 years beyond that

可能會花上 65,000 年或更長的時間

for CO2 to return pre-human levels.

讓二氧化碳濃度回到人類還沒出現的時期

But even after several million years, humanity's legacy lives on.

但即使經過幾百萬年的時間，人類的遺址仍然存在

Carved in unyielding granite,

美國拉什莫爾山上的總統雕刻

America's Mt. Rushmore survives for 7.2 million years.

因為是用堅固的花崗岩雕刻而成，可存活長達 720 萬年

The chemical composition of our bronze sculptures

我們的銅像，會因為其中的化學物質

keeps them recognizable for over 10 million.

在超過 1000 萬年後還是辨識的出來

And buried deep underground,

在深不可測的地底

the remnants of cities built on floodplains

建造在洪氾平原上的城市遺跡

have been preserved in time as a kind of technofossil.

將會被保存下來，成為某種技術化石 (註：古代人工製品)

Eventually, these traces, too, will be wiped from the planet's surface.

最終，這些痕跡還是會從地球表面被抹除

Humanity hasn't always been here, and we won't be here forever.

人類並非永遠存在於地球上，也不可能會永遠存在下去

But by investigating the world without us,

但是藉由研究沒有我們的世界

perhaps we can learn more about the world we live in now.

或許我們可以了解更多關於現在生活的世界