Alan Weisman - The World Without Us

shark population, 255–57, 263, 265

Olduvai Gorge, 43–44, 69

Olmstead, Frederick Law, 22, 30

Olorgesailie depression (Kenya), 68–71

Olsen, David, 246

Ottoman Empire.

See

Cyprus

Turkey

ozone

destruction of, 204–5

oxygen-ozone, 204—5

ultraviolet rays, 203–4

PAHs (polyaromatic hydrocarbons), 156, 165, 267

paleolithic humans

in Africa, 68–71

and slash-and-burn agriculture, 167–68

toolmakers, 68–69

Paleozoic Era, end of, 230

Palm Beach Hotel (Varosha, Cyprus), 91–92, 93–95

See also

Constantia Hotel Palmyra Atoll (Line Islands), 264–65

as munitions dump, 258–59

Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (AZ), 209–11, 212, 213

Panama Canal, 173–75, 177–79, 178

Culebra Cut, 176–77

electricity and, 175, 177

engineering and building, 175–77

Lake Gatún, 176, 177, 179–80

Lake Alajuela, 177

Madden Dam, 177, 179

Río Chagres, 175–76, 177–79

and wildlife, 199–200

without humans, 176–77, 178–70

Panama City, 179

paper, survival of, 248

pavement

deterioration of, 26–27

Pazar, Michael, 238

PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), 125–26, 156, 267

and hermaphroditic polar bears, 159

Pérez, Abdiel, 175–77

permafrost

thaw of, 219–20, 220–21

methane deposits, 220–21

Permian Extinction, 229–31

Peters, Chuck, 29, 32

Petexbatún (Mayan kingdom), 226, 227–28

petrochemical industry

accidents, 136, 138–40

Houston and, 132–33

storage, 135–36

petrochemicals

butadiene, 132

styrene, 132

synthetic rubber, 131–32

See also

chemicals; petroleum; plastics; polymer

petroleum

BP, 135

pipelines, 132–33

and plant life, 31

salt dome storage caverns, 133

synthetic rubber, 131–32

Valero, 135, 136

plant life

extreme conditions, tolerance to, 159–60

genetic modification, 159, 160–62

Ice Age and, 61–62

nonnative invaders, 29–30, 30–31, 32

threats to, 29

plant resurgence

in New York City, 27, 27–28

in Chernobyl, 215–56

plaster walls

deterioration of, 18

plastic

Bakelite, 115, 118, 237

biodegradation of, 17–18, 18, 125–26, 127–28

consumption after 1945, 118–19

ecological damage from, 119–20

natural polymers, 118

particles polluting the oceans, 113–14, 114–16, 116–18, 118–19, 119–20, 120–23, 123–24, 124–25, 125–26, 126–28

photodegradation of, 126

Styrofoam, 118, 131

See also

polymer

plastic bags

ecological damage from, 116–17

plastic particles

polluting the oceans, 113–14, 114–16, 116–18, 118–19, 119–20, 120–23, 123–24, 124–25, 125–26, 126–28, 264

sources of, 116–17

Pliny, 247

plutonium, 202

Chernobyl, 214–15

half-life, 202

Plym River (U.K.), 112, 113

Plymouth (U.K.), 112–13

World War II, 112

Poland

Białowieża Puszcza, 9–10, 10, 11,12–13, 13–14, 217

and World War II, 22

polymer

Bakelite, 115, 118, 237

biodegradation of, 17–18, 18, 125–26, 127–28

consumption after 1945, 118–19

ecological damage from, 119–20

natural polymers, 118

particles polluting the oceans, 113–14, 114–16, 116–18, 118–19, 119–20, 120–23, 123–24, 124–25, 125–26, 126–28

photodegradation of, 126

rubber, 130–32

Styrofoam, 118, 131

See also

plastic; plastic particles

POPs (persistent organic pollutants), 159, 165

population, 271–72

control of, 272–73

Portland cement, 175

Potts, Rick, 70

Poulton, Paul, 162–64

primates and monkeys, 45–46, 47–48, 50–51

and AIDS, 86–87

primates

baboons, 87

chimpanzees, 45, 46–47, 47–48, 50–51

gorillas, 51

spider monkeys, 3

Pripyat (Russia), 216

Rackham, Oliver, 150–51

radio-transmission towers

danger to birds, 193–94

radio waves, 274

radiation, 36, 202–3

birds, effect on, 214–16

genetic mutations, 217, 217–18

meltdowns, 212–13, 213–14, 214–16

ultraviolet rays, 203–4

at various weapons sites, 207–8, 208–9

See also

Chernobyl, nuclear fission; plutonium; uranium

radiation waste, 202–3

hazard to animals, 209

storage of, 206–8, 208–9

vitrification, 208

Rathje, William, 119–20

reactors, 36, 209–11, 212, 213, 212–13, 213–14, 214–16

meltdowns, 212–13, 213–14, 214–16

red-crowned cranes, 186–87

Rewilding Institute, 271

rhinos. See

black rhinos

Riddle, Chris, 15

Rio Chagres, 175–76, 177–79

Rocky Flats (CO), 207–8, 208–9

caution signs, 209

Rocky Mountain Arsenal (CO), 207

Rohwer, Forest, 261–62, 273–74

Roosevelt, Theodore, 66, 174, 181, 181–82

Rossi, Mark, 245–46

Rothamsted Manor (Harpenden, U.K.), 151, 151–53, 153–57, 157–159, 162–165

specimen collection, 154–57

Rothamsted Research, 152–53, 153–57, 157–59, 162–65

Broadbalk and Geescroft Wildernesses, 162–64, 164

Roundup (glyphosate), 161

Rowland, F. Sherwood, 204

rubber, 130–32

plantations, 2–3

synthetic rubber, 131–32

tires, 130–31

vulcanization, 130–31

Sagan, Carl, 248–51, 252

Sagrada Familia basilica, 19

Sahara Desert, 75–76, 168

Sala, Enric, 259, 264, 264–65

Salzman, Linda, 249

San Francisco Bay Area

BART subway system, 105

San Francisco Peaks

erosion of, 120–21

Sanderson, Eric, 22–23, 32–33

Santa Cruz River, 65

Santi, Ana María, 1–3

Santian, Noonkokwa, 85

Santian, Partois ole, 83, 84–86, 86–87

Savannah River Site (SC)

Defense Waste Processing Facility, 207–8

Scherbov, Sergei, 272

Schuber, Paul, 24–26

Scientific Romance, A (Wright), 165

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 256

Serengeti Plain (Tanzania), 84–86

Seven Wonders of the World, 172–73

Shakespeare Garden (Cental Park, NYC), 30

Ship Channel, 134, 135

Chinese tallow tree, 140–41, 143–44

without humans, 142, 143

Siberian tigers, 190

Sinan, Mimar, 102

slavery

Africa, effect on, 77–78

and maneating lions, 77

Mombasa, 77

sloths, 62

fossils, 54

Giant ground sloth (Megatherium americanum) , 62

Shasta ground sloth, 57–58

Smith, Jennifer, 258

Smithsonian Institution, 68

soil

Dioxins, 156

heavy metals, 29, 31, 158–59, 159, 221

PAHs (polyaromatic hydrocarbons), 156, 165, 267

PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), 125–26, 156, 159, 267

pH levels, 153, 155

POPs (persistent organic pollutants), 159, 165

toxins in, 157–59

See also

fertilizer

South America

biological interchange, 180–81

and bird extinctions, 199

Clovis people in, 60

marsupial mammals, 180

Meso-Americans, European diseases and, 61

rubber plantations, 2

slash-and-burn, 12, 167–68

Zápara Indians, 1–3

Southeast Asia

rubber plantations, 2

See also

Asia

Sözen, Mete, 102–5

space

asteroids, 230, 231

Big Bang theory, 270

constellation Hercules, 253

Frank Drake’s radio greeting, 253

electromagnetic radio waves, 252–54