Aftermath: Population Zero

One Liner
Aftermath: Population Zero investigates what would happen if every single person on Earth simply disappeared. It portrayals of what happen if we faced drastic changes to the environment, animals running wild or meltdowns and explosions all over the world. This is what life will be like on Earth from Day 10 to one year after humans vanish from existence. What would happen if humans simply vanished off the face of the Earth? Armed with that intriguing concept, this documentary explores the possibilities of a planet abandoned by mankind, imagining the likely scenarios as it renders startling visions of our human creations overrun by the forces of nature.

Concept
What would happen if, tomorrow, every single person on Earth simply disappeared? Not dead, simply gone, just like that. A world without people, where city streets are still populated by cars, but no drivers. A world where there is no one to fix bridges or repair broken windows. After being on the receiving end of humanity for millennia, nature would finally be given a chance to take the world back. But how would it work? How long would the skyscrapers and houses last if they were abandoned? How would suburban pets fare without people to feed them? How would the forests, the oceans and the wildlife react if there was suddenly an end to all the hunting, fishing and farming? Aftermath is the astounding story of a world that humans will never see. The two-hour special examines the impact of human beings on this planet by proposing what the Earth might be like without people. The story begins immediately after the disappearance of humans, and ends with the beginning of a new ice age, 5000 years from now. What remnants of human civilization may still be visible? The answers are surprising and shocking. Using a combination of CGI and live-action drama, the possible future begins mere weeks after the disappearance of mankind. There are cataclysmic explosions as automatic systems fail and the power goes off. Nuclear power plants catch fire throughout the Western world, spewing out radiation at levels far higher than from Chernobyl. As

the fires burn, abandoned suburban pets and farm animals must attempt to survive in the new human-free world. Dogs form hunting packs, reverting back to their wolfish instincts in a matter of weeks. Among domesticated animals such as cows and chickens, many die due to the artificial breeding practices that have altered their natural evolution. Over the decades to come, long suppressed ancestral genes slowly resurface among the survivors. Fur and horns grow back and udders shrink. In other words, the farm animals get tough or die. Meanwhile, humanitys great engineering marvels find themselves at war with nature. Water and carbon dioxide slowly eat away at the worlds great skyscrapers and bridges. They deteriorate slowly, as windows fall and nature invades city boardrooms. But which of the worlds great structures may survive for over a thousand years? Will the Eiffel Tower outlast the Statue of Liberty? The answers are discovered as Mother Nature takes back her rivers and oceans, and allows the deserts to recapture Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Using state-of-the-art animation and special effects, Aftermath explores a world no human being will ever see. By examining how the world might get along without us, Aftermath also delivers surprising insights into how the world works and what keeps it from falling apart.

Treatment
The question is, what would happen with the planet, if humanity were to disappear overnight. If you discount the slightly farfetched sudden disappearance of all humanity, the scenario offers lots of interesting questions. The documentary proceeds step by step how things would fail and subsequently change. While some interesting points are raised (like which zoo animals would fare best when attaining freedom), there are really too many instances, where the treatment of the topics is just slightly too superficial. The nuclear fallout miraculously disappears in a year or two, as does the chemical poisoning. Aftermath does not explain how humanity disappeared, but rather what would happen to the Earth after we disappeared. It shows that humans have disappeared instantly, not a few at a time. Aftermath depicts what would happen if various modes of transportation such as automobiles, planes, and trains are abandoned in mid motion when their passengers and operators instantly disappear. It also shows what would happen to these vehicles left in motion. In essence more something to make one think that many of our achievements are hardly eternal and that our society requires a lot of constant maintenance to keep functioning.