20 Things That Would Happen if Humans Disappeared From Earth Overnight

Many animals will starve

Without humans around to care for them, millions of house pets, farm and zoo animals that are not accustomed to hunting down their own food will starve within a few weeks. Creatures such as rats, cockroaches and lice that depend on human activity for survival will also die out or even become extinct.

While other animals will thrive

While some animals will die without being fed, others will escape their now defunct electric enclosures and run amok. Stronger predators will hunt and kill weaker animals while domestic dogs and cats will start running in packs, picking off smaller and slower creatures. Within weeks, small dogs such as pugs or terriers whose survival instincts and features have been bred out by humans will have been killed off by larger creatures.

Raw sewage would flood the rivers

Sewage treatment plants obviously require power to operate. Without power, sewage would slowly back up and begin to flood, polluting the surrounding lakes and rivers. The sewage would likely poison a number of animals who’d managed to survive thus far.

Chemical plants will fail

Across the world, dangerous chemicals used for manufacturing are carefully stored and maintained. Many chemicals require electricity to remain stable and without power, dangerous liquids could be released as gases. Experts say that these chemicals could enter the earth’s atmosphere and cause a “mini chemical nuclear winter”.

Natural gas plants will cause fires

Much like chemical plants, natural gas plants require electricity to maintain dangerous substances. Without power, natural gas plants would begin to vent and the gas would eventually reach the fuel tanks of now ownerless vehicles, causing mass explosions and fires worldwide that would burn for days.

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