History Main / EarthThatUsedToBeBetter

* In ''{{Halo}}'', we had colonized hundreds of worlds due to Earth becoming way to overpopulated. Now, with about 270,000,000 humans left, we could fit everyone in America.

* In JohnScalzi's ''[=~Old Man's War~=]'' series, Earth has become a half-forgotten backwater compared to [[spoiler: and by the sinister machinations of]] the Colonial government. It's centuries behind the technological curve (particularly medically) and under permanent quarantine following a plague that caused mass infertility [[spoiler: and was created by the Colonial government just to justify said quarantine]]. Average quality of life is not really much worse than today, but it could be ''so'' much better.
** Worse, Earth is basically used as a soldier-farm by the Colonial Union.

* ''NightsDawn'' trilogy by PeterFHamilton. Earth suffers from devestating megacyclones (Amarda storms) and so the entire population lives inside giant arcologies.

** According to the novelization, Earth has basically become a giant, polluted slum; the only people who still live there are the people who can't ''afford'' to get offworld.

** Earth in the Universal Century may be a more subtle example, as while it doesn't have cyberpunk-esque ruined ecosystems, its been a successful target of {{Colony Drop}}s on at least 4 occasions, with more attempts being barely stopped at the last moment. Furthermore, At least half of the Human population has long since moved into orbital colony structures, and said colonists tend to blame ''all'' of Earth's population for their problems and claim Earth-dwellers to be a bunch of decadent hedonists, Even though its been explicitly shown in some UC shows (such as 08th MS Team) that a lot of Earth still lives fairly primitive lives that look like something more out of a Vietnam War documentary than a Science Fiction setting.

* ''BladeRunner'': Overcrowded and rainy
** Undercrowded-- recall J.F. Sebastian's noting "No housing shortage around here; plenty of room for everybody," and that he lives alone in the Bradbury building. And a number of interior scenes clearly have daylights outside at the eyeball-scorching level of sunlight one usually expects from Los Angeles. (Presumably rain came in every now and then as a chain of small winter storms blew in-- not uncommon weather for Los Angeles in November.) There may well be some big screwed-up-biosphere reason artificial animals are so popular, but there isn't any real clear sign of it on-camera.
*** WordOfGod is that [[GlobalWarming the constant rain clouds are due to the oceans evaporating.]]
** Same as in the book really, though there it is more explicitly explained to be the result of a radioactive disaster (possibly war) of some kind. Most of the biosphere is dead or dying, and big dust storms are known to sweep through pretty much anywhere. There's still a significant earthbound population (though most who could afford to have already left the planet), but there's tons of empty apartments in even the most densely populated buildings. Owning an actual living animal of any kind is a pretty big status symbol (people carry around a Blue Book for animal values) so artificial animals are popular as a cheaper and covert way to APPEAR to be able to afford a real one.

** That said, the environment itself is doing quite fine. Most of Europe is mentioned to be covered in forests, land overtaken as a result of population and industry shifts.

** It's basicly a grimdark version of [[StarWars Coruscant]]. It also has defences that would make any would-be invader shit themselves.
*** And there is no doubt about a million other defenses around and on the planet, that the Imperium has simply ''lost.'' They do that.
** Unless one had the luck to see him/herself on the [[TheGovernment Adeptus Terra]] payroll. Emperor's servants live relatively decently.

* In some of IsaacAsimov's stories, Earth becomes a world of overcowded, domed cites, where [[PlanetOfHats everyone has]] agoraphobia and [[FantasticRacism hates those darn job - stealing robots.]] In some other Asimov stories Earth is radioactive, but not so much that people can't live here; it's just very very very unpleasant. Other people moved to the stars. (After [[ScienceMarchesOn Science Marched On]] and it was discovered that it wouldn't be possible to live on a planet with much radiation, Asimov said that if he could go back and fix the stories he would but it was so much a part of the setting he couldn't.)

* In the ''Red Dwarf'' novels Earth has had all its mineral resources stripped from it, is afflicted by comically high levels of pollution, and is home only to "a few hundred thousand people too poor, too scared or too stupid to leave" -- the rest of humanity is spread throughout the Solar System. Lister still loves Earth and considers it home, even though it's a dump.

* ''MassEffect'': Very overcrowded with all attendant issues, though things are getting better. Growing up in the slums is one of Shepard's optional backgrounds. The codex states that with colonization of other worlds and thus lessening of the population, Earth "is entering a new golden age."

Sometimes goes hand in hand with GaiasLament. Occasionally prone to starting TheWarOfEarthlyAggession out of jealousy.

Sometimes goes hand in hand with GaiasLament.

*** WordOfGod is that [[GlobalWarming the constant rain clouds are due to the ocean evaporating.]]

* In John Scalzi's [[OldMansWar Old Man's War]] series, Earth has become a half-forgotten backwater compared to [[spoiler: and by the sinister machinations of]] the Colonial government. It's centuries behind the technological curve (particularly medically) and under permanent quarantine following a plague that caused mass infertility [[spoiler: and was created by the Colonial government just to justify said quarantine]]. Average quality of life is not really much worse than today, but it could be ''so'' much better.

* The Earth in {{Fallen Dragon}} is heading this way. As a result of poverty, economic stagnation and industrial stagnation, most the planet is covered in {{Dying Town}}s. Colonisation and {{Casual Space Travel}} is creeping to a halt due to mounting costs and the {{Megacorp}}s inhabiting Earth are plundering their own distant colonies before returning to Earth to hole up.

** Earth in the Universal Century may be a more subtle example, as while it doesn't have cyberpunk-esque ruined ecosystems, its been a successful target of ColonyDrops on at least 4 occasions, with more attempts being barely stopped at the last moment. Furthermore, At least half of the Human population has long since moved into orbital colony structures, and said colonists tend to blame ''all'' of Earth's population for their problems and claim Earth-dwellers to be a bunch of decadent hedonists, Even though its been explicitly shown in some UC shows (such as 08th MS Team) that a lot of Earth still lives fairly primitive lives that look like something more out of a Vietnam War documentary than a Science Fiction setting.

* ''MassEffect'': Very overcrowded with all attendant issues, though things are getting better. Growing up in the slums is one of Shepard's optional backgrounds. The codex states that with colonization of other worlds and thus lessening of the population, Earth "is entering a new golden age."

* Living on the Earth of ColonyWars is little more than a status symbol, as the entire planet is a sickly brown color. The eponymous war happens because the government on Earth and the upper-class it represents expect the colonies to exist solely for the purpose of funneling resources back to them, until the colonies rise up against the abuse and declare independence. In the first game's best ending, most of the people of Earth simply leaves to make new lives for themselves on the colonies. [[ItGotWorse This ending is not canon.]]

* ''MassEffect'': Very overcrowded with all attendant issues, though things are getting better. Growing up in the slums is one of Shepard's optional backgrounds.
** The codex stated that with colonization of other worlds and thus lessening of the population, Earth "is entering a new golden age."
*** You still never get to go there. In the first game the closest you get is the moon, and in the second, you're not welcome outside the Terminus systems. Given how much Shepard has pissed off the Reapers, though, good money is on a climatic battle scene around the InsignificantLittleBluePlanet in the third game.

* ''{{Aria}}'': [[TokenLoli Ai]] has never seen a blue sky and Akari comments that you can no longer swim in the oceans or dig in the earth. Also, the oceans rose so Venice is gone. Luckily, terraforming Mars went extremely well and they built a new Venice. on it.

* In ''TheHistoryOfTheGalaxy'', Earth i an overpopulated world at the beginning of the timeline but thr population steadily leaves during the war. Hundreds of years later, Earth is once again a lush world, nature having taken back most of what used to be civilization.