Earth
General Information
System: Sol
Moon(s): Luna
Development level: Extremely High
Capital: N/A
Population (Planetside): 20,160,000,000 (est.)
Population (In Orbit): 987,950,000 (est.)
Earth (also called Terra, Gaia, or Sol III) is the third planet in orbit around the star Sol, and is the homeworld of humanity. Approximately 83% of its surface is covered in salt water, due to an amplified greenhouse effect melting the planet's polar ice caps several centuries ago. Originally home to millions of distinct species of flora and fauna, it is estimated that 94% of those species have gone extinct.
The biosphere of Earth was severely polluted and ecologically ravaged towards the end of the 23rd century, and a runaway greenhouse effect was nearly achieved by the time all nonrenewable resources had been depleted. However, extensive private, corporate and government investment in reclamation programs, high efficiency renewable energy and sustainable development resulted in a reversing trend of pollution that has greatly improved living conditions on the surface.
Earth is the most densely populated planet in all of explored space, surpassing even the Skrellian homeworld's population by several billion. Earth is also the most developed planet in human space, with sprawling megalopolises, or "megacities." Several of these superdense metropolitan areas are built up in a tiered fashion. There is also a massive population of spacers living in orbit, and several tens of millions living on Luna, the natural satellite of Earth.
Geography
The size of Earth's landmasses are significantly smaller than they were in the centuries prior to the 22nd century. The melting of the polar ice caps caused massive rises in the overall sea level, and large stretches of land were submerged. Areas that are currently underwater include most of what used to be Sibera, the northern section of Eastern Europe, large portions of Canada, and approximately a third of Australia's landmass. Entire countries sank beneath the waves in South America, and the area of the United States that used to be the deep south no longer exists. A majority of the Pacific islands are also gone. With the melting of the ice caps, the rocky base layer of Antarctica was exposed.
Environment
The Earth's environment as of modern day is stabilizing at a steady rate. New growth forests that were sown several decades ago are now thriving on the outskirts of major metropolitan areas. The general air quality is now on par with that of the early 21st century, and the oceans have been subjected to extensive reclamation programs that have neutralized large portions of residual pollution. Artificially introduced fish stocks populate the depths, and cloned versions of extinct species have been reintroduced into the wilds.
This was not always the case. From the late 2100s to the late 2200s, Earth was approaching a critical mass in terms of pollution. Global temperatures had risen to the point that the planet was in the early stages of a runaway greenhouse effect, and air pollution blotted out the sun in some areas. Approximately 94% of all land species and 90% of all ocean species on Earth had gone extinct, and serious health issues due to the environment were especially rampant during this period. The world's rain forests were essentially gone, with only areas in Madagascar and the mountainous portions of South America retaining any significant degree of greenery.
Advances in technology and a massive shift in focus towards restorative and environmentalist policies eventually reversed the negative trend of Earth's environment by the early 2300s. Massive terraforming facilities recycled and neutralized pollutants and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and pumped out gas mixtures similar to Earth's atmosphere during the 2000s. Most cities were retrofitted to be sustainable, and DNA samples from various extinct species were used to reconstruct and clone them with current technology. Within the span of a century, a vast quantity of the effects of ecological and environmental devastation were nullified, reversed in some cases, and severely dampened at the very least.
Society
Humanity
Earth is the homeworld of humanity. Humans first evolved around 7 million years ago, but it wasn't until only 700 years ago that the human population skyrocketed due to the industrial revolution and the second green revolution. Since then, the population growth trend for humanity has been exponential, plateauing off slightly in the 21st century, but skyrocketing again with the emergence of planetary colonization. Approximately 50% of all humans live on Earth.
There was significant religious and ideological turmoil within humanity throughout its history, which often resulted in warfare and violence. This trend continued even past the creation of the Sol Alliance, and into the modern day. Terrorist groups still exist and rogue colonial governments will occasionally rebel, though the Sol Alliance has shown itself to be rather effective in terms of quashing rebellions and responding to terrorism.
Supranational Organizations
Since the creation of the Sol Alliance, warfare between the nation-states of Earth has become nonexistent. This is also partially attributed to the creation of supranational organizations to help the various countries manage their respective continents, as well as the Sol Alliance's peacekeeping and mediation duties. Most of the countries that existed around the 21st century are still in existence, though some have either been absorbed into their neighbors, while others were submerged under rising sea levels. Below is a roster of supranational organizations on Earth.
- North American Federation
- South American Alliance
- South African Collective
- Free African Nations
- Collective of Independent Caribbean States
- United Islamic Nations
- European Union
- Oceania
- Scandinavian Alliance
- Neo-Carolingian Federation
- Madagascar
- United Arab Emirates
- Pan-Asian Confederation
- New Russian Federation
Major Cities
Earth is the most densely populated planet in known space. The major metropolitan areas can stretch for hundreds of miles, and are referred to as "megacities". Megacities sometimes merge into each other, or extend over bodies of water. The best example of this are the twin artificial land bridges across the Persian Gulf that connect Dubai to the mainland portion of the UAE. Megacities can be home to billions of people, and as such can sometimes be tiered, such as the case with Beijing, Los Angeles, Dubai, Mumbai, New Delhi, New York City, Tokyo, Jerusalem, and London. Below is a roster of megacities on Earth.
- Portland
- San Francisco
- Los Angeles
- Dallas
- Las Vegas
- Mexico City
- Chicago
- Montreal
- New York City
- Washington D.C.
- Bogota
- Lima
- Rio de Janeiro
- Sao Paulo
- Buenos Aires
- Madrid
- Reykjavik
- Oslo
- Berlin
- Paris
- Rome
- Cairo
- Jerusalem
- Cape Town
- Dubai
- Karachi
- New Delhi
- Mumbai
- Bangkok
- Kuala Lumpur
- Beijing
- Shanghai
- Tokyo
- Jakarta
- Perth
- Cairns
- Brisbane
- Sydney
- Canberra
- Melbourne
- Dublin
- London
Heritage Sites and Monuments
In the mid-20th century, an organization called UNESCO designated heritage sites, or areas and locations deemed culturally significant to humanity. Many significant sites were lost as sea levels rose to cover them over time, but significant architectures and monuments ended up being well preserved by their respective nations, and still exist into the modern day. Copies and reproductions of famous monuments exist on other planets, but the originals can still be found on Earth.
The Moon
Star System: Sol
Parent Planet: Earth
Development level: Medium; Advanced, interconnected Biodomed Cities; Pocketed with shoddily constructed Earth-slums
Capital: Harmony City
Terrestrial Population (est.): 373,674,843
Spacer Population (est.): 162,981
Noteworthy places: Lunar University of Medical Science
Luna is the moon of Earth. It is tidally locked to its parent and makes a complete revolution every 28 standard days. It formed when a rogue planetoid collided with Earth during the early stages of its formation. The moon came together from the resultant orbital debris. Luna was the first target of spacefaring humans as they pierced the outer layers of the atmosphere. It was largely ignored until the age of FTL travel and colonization, when small colonies were established, mostly as refueling and launching posts for re-entry craft.
Luna is something of a mishmash of human society. Prior to Earth's destruction, Luna was developed into an off-world hub for Earth trade and even boasted a large Resort hub. Surviving the second Sol Alliance Civil War relatively intact, Luna immediately saw an influx of refugees from Earth. The pristine, advanced biodomed cities became dotted with hastily constructed slums. Luna's economy is based around Earth orbital salvage operations, tourism and supporting the Alliance Earth Blockade. Tensions exist between the original inhabitants and the refugees, leading to the biodomes being divided up between rich and poor through the use of massive intra-dome walls. Harmony City and Heng Chang Commune have endured many riots.
Luna, being directly administered by the Alliance, democratically elects it's leaders; however, due to social tensions, the military has taken over the job of local police and some areas remain under indefinite marshal law.
Luna is also home to a number of human cultural artifacts rescued from Earth, including a significant portion of The Lourve's collection.