The Disaster

Artist interpretation of the ER moon landing from 2280. The earth can clearly be seen in the background to be heavily polluted and bares a generally inhospitable appearance. It wouldn't be until the 25th century that earth would be back to a sustainable state.

### Result

The near end of all life on earth and the eventual rise of the Ecological Republic.

*"The cause of the Disaster became irrelevant the second it began."*

-Hideyoshi Nakamura, 4006

**The Disaster** is the name of the nuclear exchange at the end of the unknown era that wiped out most of human civilisation and the main cause behind the **Holocene-Late Quarternary Extinction** (**H-LQ Extinction**). The aftermath of it lead to the near complete annihilation of Earth's ecosystem and the rise of the Ecological Republic. It is consensus that it is one of, if not the most important event in all of human history.

## Origin

The origin of the Disaster, like most of the pre-disaster period, is shrouded in mystery. Many believe it was the result of an armed conflict between the major powers of the time; those being the United States, the People's Republic of China, and the European Federation. From what can be gathered, many speculate that tensions between two or more of these powers escalated to a full scale nuclear conflict. All in all, however, the origin of the Disaster is vastly overshadowed by the event itself.

## Aftermath

### Short term

Archaeological evidence points towards the majority of cities over a population of around 100,000 being completely annihilated, and the surrounding urban areas being irradiated to the point of inhabitability, as well as wild fires causing mass ecological devastation. A nuclear winter would cause the death of crops and animals leading to mass famines and food shortages. It is estimated that 60-80% of the massive loss of life caused by the Disaster where due to those food shortages.
Nuclear fallout was also be a large contributing source of death, poisoning water supplies and people alike.

### Ecological

The Disaster is credited as one of the primary causes of the H-LQ Extinction. Biodiversity went down in the following years by 80% and lead to a near complete collapse of worldwide ecosystems. Many already endangered large mammals, such as the Elephant, Rhinoceros, Orangutan, and Panda, as well several species of large cat, went extinct either due to starvation or radiation poisoning.

### Recovery

#### Cultural

Many anthropologists say that the disaster left a permanent "trauma" in the consciousness of humankind. It left a deep fear and hatred of war and mass conflict in its survivors. Some have hypothesised that this is a reason behind the lack of any major war, save the Militorade, Bloodening, and Galawar, in the 2000 following years.

#### Ecological

Basic ecosystems would recover in the decades following the disaster, though due to the neglect of the surviving humans, the situation would only worsen as global warming caused by Co2 emissions would radically accelerate. By the year 2300, the atmosphere would become nearly entirely toxic, necessitating the usage of gas masks outdoors. This would come to a head in the Militorade, where people around the planet would rise up against those in power violently, culminating in the rise of the Ecological Republic. Under the mandates by Omnodeus and Heiimos, an era of gradual rebuilding of ecosystems followed.