Carlin had some good material, but this is an absolutely stupid mindset. We can cause an extreme level of ecological damage. Will the planet eventually recover? Quite possibly. But that’s not a certainty, and in the mean time we’re triggering a mass extinction precisely because irresponsible humans figure there’s no way we can hurt the Earth and it’s self-important hubris to think that we can.
But the time we’re living through and the time we’re heading into are all the proof we should need that it’s actually hubris to assume our actions have no meaningful impact.
Hours to weeks: Power grids fail; nuclear reactors melt down without maintenance[11].
Months to decades: Urban areas flood as drainage systems fail; buildings decay from weather and plant growth[6][11].
100–300 years: Steel structures collapse; concrete buildings crumble[5][7]. Most cities become overgrown forests[6].
Medium-Term (Thousands of Years)
1,000 years: Visible surface structures (e.g., roads, monuments) are buried or eroded. Plastics fragment but persist chemically[5][7].
10,000–250,000 years: Nuclear isotopes (e.g., plutonium-239) remain detectable in sediments and ice cores[7]. Mining tunnels fill with sediment but leave identifiable “industrial fossils”[7].
500,000 years: Microplastics and polymer layers in ocean sediments endure[5][10].
Long-Term (Millions of Years)
1–7 million years: Fossils of humans and domesticated animals persist. Geological strata show elevated carbon levels and mass extinction markers[4][8]. Deep mines and landfills remain as distinct layers[7][10].
50–100 million years: Continental drift subducts surface evidence; satellites decay or drift into space[3][10]. Only deep geological traces (e.g., mine shafts, isotope ratios) might endure[3][10].
250 million years: Next predicted mass extinction eradicates all mammals, including any remaining human traces[9].
Near-Permanent Traces
Space artifacts: Lunar landers, Mars rovers, and Voyager probes persist for billions of years[3][10].
Radio signals: Human broadcasts travel through space indefinitely at light speed[5].
Key Factors
Detection likelihood: Aliens or future species could find traces for 100+ million years via deep geological analysis or space exploration[5][10].
Total erasure: Requires Earth’s destruction (e.g., solar expansion in 5 billion years)[10].
Carlin had some good material, but this is an absolutely stupid mindset. We can cause an extreme level of ecological damage. Will the planet eventually recover? Quite possibly. But that’s not a certainty, and in the mean time we’re triggering a mass extinction precisely because irresponsible humans figure there’s no way we can hurt the Earth and it’s self-important hubris to think that we can.
But the time we’re living through and the time we’re heading into are all the proof we should need that it’s actually hubris to assume our actions have no meaningful impact.
Immediate to Short-Term (Days to Centuries)
Medium-Term (Thousands of Years)
Long-Term (Millions of Years)
Near-Permanent Traces
Key Factors
Citations: [1] Human extinction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_extinction [2] What If Humans Suddenly Went Extinct? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuOKTZISXhc [3] How long would it take for all traces of humans to be gone? https://www.reddit.com/r/answers/comments/1azu120/how_long_would_it_take_for_all_traces_of_humans/ [4] What would happen to Earth if humans went extinct? https://www.livescience.com/earth-without-people.html [5] How long before all human traces are wiped out? https://www.newscientist.com/lastword/2215950-how-long-before-all-human-traces-are-wiped-out/ [6] Vanishing Act: What Earth Will Look Like 100 Years After Humans Disappear - Brilliantio https://brilliantio.com/if-people-dissapeared-what-will-happen-to-earth-in-100-years/ [7] If humans became extinct, how long would it take for all … https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/if-humans-became-extinct-how-long-would-it-take-for-all-traces-of-us-to-vanish [8] Nature will need up to five million years to fill the gaps caused by man-made mass extinctions, study finds https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/mass-extinctions-five-million-years-nature-mammals-crisis-animal-plants-pnas-aarhus-a8585066.html [9] Humans Will Go Extinct on Earth in 250 Million Years; Mass Extinction Will Occur Sooner if Burning Fossil Fuels Continues [Study] https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/49951/20240430/humans-will-go-extinct-earth-250-million-years-mass-extinction.htm [10] How long would it take for all evidence of humanity to be … https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/153618/how-long-would-it-take-for-all-evidence-of-humanity-to-be-erased-from-earth [11] What Would Happen If Every Human On Earth Just Disappeared? https://www.scienceabc.com/humans/life-like-humans-suddenly-disappeared.html
Stephen Baxter over here. I’m going back to bed, it won’t change anything…
We do have an impact but the earth will 100% be ok when we are dead and gone eventually. A million years ain’t shit to the earth.
We humans are a virus…a parasite and the earth will be better off once we are extinct.