this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2024
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Reclaimed By Nature

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A community dedicated to examples of nature fighting back and reclaiming aspects of human civilization. Be it whole buildings, simple structures, or smaller items.

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Chernobyl (lemmy.one)
submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 52 points 8 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 21 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

19,960 years left to go until it is habitable again

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago (3 children)

I bet I could live there and be fine. The pesky Russians might want to kick me out though

[–] [email protected] 14 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Pripyat and Chernobyl are in Ukraine :)

There are (or were?) guided tours, but for a really good view of what it's like there, I recommend Shiey's Journey Across Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

He's a Lithuanian YouTuber and thrill-seeker who illegally went there and had to run from security at one point, too. He found lots of signs of other "Stalkers," including a group in the flesh that invited him for dinner.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I wonder if he was trying to say invading forces might want to kick him out.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago
[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Kiyv oblast is not Russian last time I checked. The bears, wolves and workers might have a bone to pick with you though.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Aren't Russian troops still there though?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

While the background radiation levels aren't exceptionally dangerous and people do live in the exclusion zone, there are a large number of radioactive hotspots that could be extremely dangerous. They're small pieces of the reactor core that were spread around by the explosion, and they're extremely radioactive still. If you inhaled one or if you were to eat a plant or animal that had eaten/absorbed one it could do a significant amount of damage to you. Kyle Hill has some really good videos on this topic.

[–] [email protected] 52 points 8 months ago (2 children)

That's Chenobyl power plant, but the city is Pripyat.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 8 months ago

50,000 people used to live here. Now it's a ghost town.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 8 months ago (1 children)

"Fifty thousand people used to live here. Now, it’s a ghost town."

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago

Babushka's of Chernobyl is a good watch.

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt3299704/

[–] [email protected] 38 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

It's got what plants crave

[–] [email protected] 33 points 8 months ago

Before was still quite pretty

[–] [email protected] 19 points 8 months ago (1 children)

So you're telling me we should have more nuclear meltdowns?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 8 months ago

Don't tell my wife.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

You can clearly see that the "before" picture was taken years after the disaster....

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago

The "after" is also fairly old - at least before the new safe confinement was built. Here's what it looked like around 6 years ago: (Apologies for the quality, on mobile and had to shrink it to get it to upload)

[–] [email protected] -3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Or it could be the USSR where people cannot afford cars, there is no money for building mainenance and everyone is at work right now ... /s

[–] [email protected] 4 points 8 months ago

You can clearly see plants growing out of the concrete, based on the videos that exists of Pripyat from before the disaster that is not what it looked like.

Pripyat was a privileged town where people lived well.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 8 months ago

If you are interested in this, you have to see a youtube video of an adventurous guy with a channel called Shiey, backpacking to the region and staying overnight. Such an incredible journey.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 8 months ago (2 children)

The buildings fell down by themselves after decades of neglect or they were torn down?

[–] [email protected] 32 points 8 months ago (1 children)

No one touched them. Most are still standing, just now in a nearly 40 year old forest.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Nice quiet neighborhood with beautiful mature trees!

[–] [email protected] 18 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

I think they are still there just completely covered. Look where the buildings along the middle were. It's different.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Well I'll be darned, zoom the lower photo and there are the buildings, peeking from behind the folliage.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 8 months ago

I think the pictures were taken from a slightly different angle as well. The buildings seem a bit farther away in the after image.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 8 months ago

the before wasn't actually that bad compared to most places

[–] [email protected] 10 points 8 months ago

Wow, what a glow up! The second greatest it experienced.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I remember reading a while ago that Chernobyl has become a flourishing nature preserve. While animals have a health risk from radiation, it's still a smaller health hazard than living near human settlements. It's sad that our civilization is more destructive than an open nuclear core.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago

To be fair, it's not open any more.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I don't think it is fully understood, but there is some evidence that the wolves are becoming cancer resistant

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/a46799706/mutant-wolves-of-chernobyl/

[–] [email protected] 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Must have a great town planning strategy.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

[email protected] is just like that without the radiation (well, there are NPPs and radiation can affect public health, but it's not Tschernobyl: The Game and more Pripjat: 1960-1986)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Soviet city planning: there are never enough trees