What if mankind disappeared right now, forever ... what would happen to the Earth in a week, a year, a millennium? Could the planet's climate ever recover from human activity? How would nature destroy our huge cities and our myriad plastics? And what would our final legacy be?

Speaking to experts in fields as diverse as oil production and ecology, and visiting the places that have escaped recent human activity to discover how they have adapted to life without us, Alan Weisman paints an intriguing picture of the future of Earth. Exploring key concerns of our time, this absorbing thought experiment reveals a powerful - and surprising - picture of our planet's future.

“The book charts in exquisite detail the processes by which the world that humanity has constructed would degrade under the forces of nature if we to suddenly disappear. Which structures would collapse when the power stopped running, which of our great achievements would fall under the relentless weather when we are no longer there to paint and fix it, and which materials would last for millennia to come. It is a bright exemplification of the ecology we have created and the constant effort required to keep our landscapes looking serene and our cities standing high.”
— Reuben Henry