This Is What The World Looks Like Without Electricity

By Juliet Smith 8 months ago

We wouldn’t be able to connect with anyone across the world

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It's not uncommon that people speak to others on a daily basis across the world, and this comes directly from being able to access the internet. Without our beloved interweb, there is no chance of a video call or phone call with our loved ones, no matter where they are. It also means that places like online forums cannot work, which is a big place on social media for people to connect.

Mail services would see a spike

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Without the likes of social media for people to connect, the only other route is postal mail. Just like the olden days I’m afraid. Before social media a letter was the best way to speak to someone who lived away from you. Although, the postal service now relies heavily on electricity to be able to perform as quickly as it does, this means that there’ll have to be some changes, causing a slower service or even no service!

Our devices would stop working

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There aren't many people anymore who don’t rely on their electronic devices on a daily basis. Without the internet or electricity, these devices are pretty pointless. After all, how do you plan to charge the thing? This would have a dramatic effect on people's daily lives and routines. It might be hard to imagine not having your mobile phone and realizing how much you actually rely on it.

There’d be a steep hike in food prices

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Food is made as efficiently as possible to ensure that the demand for it can be kept up. Without electricity, a lot of these processes would not be able to work, unfortunately. This means that because demand is high and resources are low, the price would increase to cover the demand. This could leave many people without food for some time until they can find another source.

Businesses couldn’t keep running

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Companies rely every day on electricity to power the services they provide. That’s just a given in 21st century life! If electricity were to stop, this would mean that the setup would have no way of working anymore. There would also be no way to quickly adapt to this change, which would mean that they would have to close until it was sorted. Some companies would just be made redundant, like internet companies.

Energy companies would see a significant drop in earnings

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The main businesses affected by having no electricity would be electricity companies. Electricity makes up the biggest portion of the product which they sell to most people's homes. Without this, they would not be able to service the customers, which would mean that they would not be able to survive. Gas could still be sold, but even then electricity is needed to maintain it! Companies would have to look at selling different services to keep afloat.

A huge number of jobs would be lost

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Following on from the last two points, without companies being able to run, the number of jobs available will become a lot fewer. This leaves many people homeless and without enough money to live. It would not be an easy fix either, as many companies would be doing the same thing, so finding a new job would be hard. In a world like this, it’s hard to avoid communism, where everyone would need to contribute to society in different ways.

Different lighting sources would be needed

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Without electricity, the lights that you take for granted would simply not work anymore. This would mean people would have to opt to use candles as their main form of lighting, or gas lamps if they’re lucky. This would make the demand for candles higher, and therefore the price of these products would dramatically increase. Good news for Yankee Candles I guess! This could also have an impact on production and the amount available for everyone.

Water sources would plummet, believe it or not

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As much as fresh water is available without the need for electricity, this does not apply to the water you drink. Water is now filtered by electric pumps, which are required to make the water drinkable. It is also needed for the production of water, which you can find in a store. Again, this would be in high demand and therefore hard to cater to many people at the same time.

Food production procedures would need to be innovated

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Food production relies heavily on electricity, so without this, the process would take a lot longer to be done correctly. This would not be a quick fix, though, and could mean production would stop for some time. Basically, a lot of people could go hungry! It could mean that people may have to begin to produce food themselves from fresh ingredients to be able to make their food effectively. Home-grown fruits and vegetables would make a comeback!

People would spend more time together

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Without electronic devices to keep up with loved ones, it would force people to spend time together face to face. It could mean that people become more busy in their free time and enjoy spending more time with people. This could take some adjusting to, and it might not always work if people live far away from each other. Having said this, a lot of people will fall out of touch, because they never see each other.

More office work would have to happen

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So many people now work from home in their own space for their day to day jobs. However, this setup would not be possible without electricity. This would mean people would need to work in an office to be able to speak to each other and work collaboratively. This could take some adjusting after the rise in work from home lifestyles now in place around the world.

Health services would struggle

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Doctors just wouldn’t know what to do without electricity in their jobs. This is because so much of their work is stored online, which includes your medical records. It is also important to note that a lot of the electronic devices are used in key situations, such as major surgery. Without these tools doctors would not be able to perform important operations on patients who needed help. Unfortunately, people are going to die!

911 services would be in danger

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We all rely on having 911 at hand whenever anything is an emergency, but without electricity, this is not a possibility. Due to the setup of the emergency services, it wouldn't be possible to get in touch with them without the internet. This would mean many people could die if they did not have emergency services at hand to help. This could be quite scary.

Older citizens would struggle to be mobile

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Many older and disabled people rely on electronic gadgets to help them through the day. It’s one of the great things about technological advancements! Without these tools, though, many of them will be stuck at home and unable to move. This could lower their quality of life and be a danger to their well being. Traditional equipment would have to be sourced, but this would not be as good as what they have now.

Different forms of entertainment would be used

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Without electricity, there would be no electronic devices to keep up with entertainment. This would mean more traditional methods would have to be used. So, you’d have to whack out those old, dusty board games or enjoy a bit of nature. There's so much to see and do just by stepping outside. People might even prefer this way of life as they get used to not relying on devices.

The economy would crash

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Following on from the last point, people just wouldn't be able to be entertained in the same way they used to. This would mean that businesses that rely on people paying to use their services would find it very hard to stay open. Without any customers or services to offer, many businesses would close down. This would cause the economy to crash at a rapid pace. So, bye bye Netflix and Paramount!

It would be harder to heat homes

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We are all so used to relying on our heating systems to warm us up in the winter. However, without electricity, this just wouldn't be possible. It may be taken for granted, but other ways would have to be used quickly. Wood fires would be used more including other traditional sources of heat, like gas heaters. This would also cause a high demand for wood and fire starters in shops.

Livestock would start dying

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Even animals would be affected by having no electricity in the world. This is because many farms rely on electronic devices to feed and care for the animals they have. To add to this, without transportation and production for the goods, the livestock will be unneeded and therefore hard to look after. Smaller traditional farms have the best chance of survival.

No air conditioning units in the summer

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We have already addressed the fact that the winter would be hard, but even the summer months would be a struggle. Without electricity, air conditioning units have no way of being able to work. This means that the summer could become unbearable in some countries. There would also be a problem creating ice, which is essential in the summer months. Our bodies would have to adapt to this.

More would be done in daylight hours

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Because electricity is used so much at night as a light source, there really is not much that can be done without it. This would mean that many people would work during the day and stop at night. People would have the time in the evening to relax and unwind from the day's work they have done. Although candles can help in some situations, they wouldn't be enough.

The world would follow the same sleep routine

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Like the last point, the world would have to work mainly in the daytime, and this would free up the evening. With this being said, if nobody is working at night, most people will sleep at this time. It could mean that many people wake up a lot earlier to be able to get all the daylight hours in. It could make people more productive and healthier with their sleep.

Traditional methods of exercise would be used

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So many people now use the gym as a way to keep fit and get healthy. However, so much about a gym relies on electricity being used to make it a success. This could be the machines used or even the air conditioning needed in the area. Without this, many people would start running outside again or doing activities in parks they have around them to work out in.

The world would become more grateful for the little things

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Without staring at a phone all the time, people would become more aware of the little things in life. This could be the view that they see instead of looking through a phone. Or maybe it is human interaction that they have longed for after not being able to connect to anyone on the phone for days. It's the simple things that would become so precious to many people.

There would be much less food waste

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Due to food being so hard to supply without electricity, it's no surprise that people will be more precious about the food they have. This is simply because production and the places to buy food will have issues being able to sell any food out. This means that the food people can buy will be expensive and of limited choice. Any food anyone would be able to get would be important. Also, foods will be stuffed with preservatives so they have a longer shelf life! After all, how can you store refrigerated and frozen goods?

Families would be tighter than ever

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The people you live with would be so important when you had no electricity to keep you entertained. This would, of course, mean that people would speak more to each other, which would in turn make them closer together. Having time together with no distractions is the best way to create a bond. By having no electricity to create any barriers in the way of families, they will be closer.

Public transport would stop

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Public transportation relies heavily on electricity to run as smoothly as possible. Many new methods of transport require electricity to operate. Without public transport having electricity, things such as services and traffic control could not run effectively. This would leave many people stranded with no way of getting around. It could be quite secluded.

Old fashioned technology would make its return

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We have come a long way since tools that operate without electricity were invented, but without electricity, these would be needed again. Old technology would have to be used to power the world, and adaptations would have to be made quickly. This could be hard when many old technologies were discarded a long time ago. Many museums may have to help out with resources.

Electric cars would run out of charge

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So many cars are now being sold with the main selling point being that they run off electricity. However, without electricity, these products become obsolete and unusable. This whole market would crash, and the cars would become unsellable to anybody. Although it would be better for the environment, it would not be enough to sell them without being able to fuel the car.

People will be more prepared than others

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There are people in this world who believe that electricity will not be around forever, and this is something they prepare for. Many people stockpile food and goods in order to ensure they can survive anything. With this, many people would be okay with the switch to a non-electric life, but many would struggle to adapt to it nonetheless. Many even keep old gadgets just in case electricity falls through! We may call them crazy now, but we’ll see…

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