Mass extinctions are levelling off
A century has passed since the peak in global extinction rates* and biodiversity has now stabilised. With previous food chains having collapsed, the world's fauna is dominated by the hardiest and most adaptable lifeforms – such as rats, cockroaches and canines, while plant life has seen a marked increased in the proportion of weeds.
Throughout the world lie abandoned cities and decaying infrastructure surrounded by vast, polluted wastelands. Small pockets of biodiversity can still be found – but many of these are contained within artificial environments, protected and sealed from conditions outside. Much of humanity has fled to higher and lower latitudes while efforts continue to resolve the climate crisis.