History Main / NewEden

Naturally, this is the perfect setting for an AdamAndEvePlot.

* In ''Series/Cleopatra2525'', a man-made ecological catastrophe has driven humanity underground at some point between now and the 26th century. They left behind machines called Baileys to repair the damage. And they do. The surface now looks like a lush paradise. But the Baileys have no desire for humans to return and wreck the place again. Only a few tribes are kept, as long as they worship the Baileys and [[spoiler:occasionally sacrifice some of their number to make more Baileys]]. It turns out that [[spoiler:the Baileys were created by the series' BigBad [[MonstarClown Creegan]], whose real name is George Bailey. While he didn't program the Baileys to rebel, he doesn't disagree with their reasoning]].

** The same is true for training camps of the Germany military, the Bundeswehr. In fact, one of many amusing adds claims that tanks are good for nature, because their threads leave behind holes in the soil which collects rainwater, which in turn brims with wildlife such as microbia, worms and insects. Plus bigger wildlife can drink it.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* The ''[[VideoGame/{{Civilization}} Call To Power]]'' games allows you to CAUSE this, just faster. By completing the Eden Project, switching to a [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans Ecotopian]] government and churning out Eco Ranger units, you can systematically wipe out every sprawling, polluting city in the world, replacing them (and the surrounding area) with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxBVc2cSFeI pristine wilderness]].

** In fact, NewEden is the goal of the entire series. The ending of ''VideoGame/ArTonelicoQogaKnellOfArCiel'' shows that HopeSproutsEternal and the entire planet slowly turning from dead brown into blue and green.
* VideoGame/EnslavedOdysseyToTheWest: A large portion of the game takes place in breathtaking ruins of cities so post-apocalyptic that they're covered in lush greenery.
* VideoGame/TheLastOfUs

* In ''RolePlay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers'', during the course of Team Earthbound, Nova, and other's adventures in PMD-B, a post-apocalyptic version of the Alternate Timeline, they find that many of the old cities have gotten a new coating of green. Azalea for instance was completely swallowed by Ilex Forest.

* The short story "The Defenders" by Creator/PhilipKDick, in which the Eastern and Western Blocs had built [[RobotWar robots to fight World War III as proxies]] while humanity waited out the nuclear holocaust in underground shelters. As soon as humanity went underground, the robots stopped fighting and began repairing the damage already done, eventually presenting both sides with peace as a ''fait accompli'' and predicting that the accomplishments of a united humanity would be "unimaginably great."

From Creator/PhilipKDick comes the short story "The Defenders," in which the Eastern and Western Blocs had built robots to fight World War III as proxies while humanity waited out the nuclear holocaust in underground shelters. As soon as humanity went underground, the robots stopped fighting and began repairing the damage already done, eventually presenting both sides with peace as a ''fait accompli'' and predicting that the accomplishments of a united humanity would be "unimaginably great."

** Inverted because the trio escape to the surface only to find a dangerous land of beastmen causing trouble with their Ganmen. It has something to do with Lordgenome wiping all spiral life off the surface of the planet and repopulating it with less capable non-spiral lifeforms. Beastmen CAN'T evolve since they lack DNA which is also literally why they can't use Spiral Power. Except for [[spoiler:Viral, who becomes badass enough to [[BeyondTheImpossible use spiral power anyways]].]]

* "Literature/The Machine Stops" is a science fiction novella by Creator/EMForster set in a dystopian future where humanity lives in cubicles, communicating only via technology and experiencing everything second-hand. Outside the planet is livable but the titular Machine has rendered humanity dependent on it. Written in 1909.

** In fact, NewEden is the goal of the entire series. The ending of ''ArTonelico3'' shows that HopeSproutsEternal and the entire planet slowly turning from dead brown into blue and green.

* Shortly after the US entered WW2, German u-boats began patrolling off the eastern seaboard. This made it extremely dangerous for fishing boats to go out, because they were effectively unarmed and likely to get sunk. The result of several years free of human fishing was that fish populations exploded. However, certain species have been so overharvested that scientists believe they will never recover.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machine_Stops ''The Machine Stops'']] is a science fiction novella by E. M. Forster set in a dystopian future where humanity lives in cubicles, communicating only via technology and experiencing everything second-hand. Outside the planet is livable but the titular Machine has rendered humanity dependent on it. Written in 1909.

* In the ''NovelsOfTheChange'', the total collapse of all modern technology means that things like bison and prairies make a hefty comeback, and wolves come back to the U.S. in force (also, lions and tigers. Blame soft-hearted zookeepers).

* The shadow elves of ''{{Mystara}}'', a D&D game setting, retreated underground to escape the Great Rain of Fire. Hundreds of years later, when the planet had recovered, their scouts rediscovered a path to the surface ... and ran smack into a subversion: rather than a paradise, the tunnel led to the Broken Lands, one of the few places on the planet that ''still'' looked like a radioactive wasteland. They went back underground and stayed put for another thousand years.

* In ''Literature/TheWorldAndThorinn'', Thorinn learns that [[spoiler:the robot overlords are maintaining a number of small "worlds" in layers to conserve life on Earth. It's left ambiguous as to whether there still exists a habitable outer shell, or if that's the one that Thorinn started at.

* Ironically subverted in ''EveOnline'' - the New Eden system was initially a paradise, but was destroyed by the catastrophic collapse of the EVE wormhole. It is now a [[CrapsackWorld Crapsack Galaxy]].

[[folder:Film]]
* Used at the end of TheFilmOfTheBook ''Film/LogansRun''.
* ''Film/FightClub'': Tyler Durden claims to have this as his dream.

* In the film adaptation of ''Film/{{Hellboy}}'', this is [[EvilSorcerer Grigori]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist Rasputin's]] motivation for trying to release the [[SealedEvilInACan Ogdru]] [[EldritchAbomination Jahad]]. He's [[AxeCrazy deluded]] of course, seeing as an actual vision of their return reveals a fiery wasteland.
** This is actually more or less true in the comics. The Ogdru Jahad's ultimate goal is, more or less, to return Earth to the way it was in prehistoric times, before God selected humans to be His chosen people. While visions of the immediate aftermath of an Ogdru Jahad victory show grey, ruined, smoking wastelands full of ash and collapsed buildings, their long term plan is to cover the world in lush, mesozoic jungles populated by reptiles, amphibians and crustaceans.

* Some of the most biologically diverse regions of the UK are actually in military training areas - because of the closed nature of these areas, as well as the strict rules the military have promoting rotation and protection (some parts of the training areas are even off limits to infantry and vehicles)

* This is pretty much Ra's al-Ghul's ultimate goal in TheDCU, though needless to say, he's yet to succeed.

* ''ArTonelico2'': Finally happen to Sol Marta after a [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans long]], [[WellIntentionedExtremist tragic]], [[FromBadToWorse desperate]] struggle; by way of the elusive Metafalica that everyone is after. Considering that this game can be described as [[FromBadToWorse it got worse]]: The JRPG, it's one of the most triumphant example of EarnYourHappyEnding.

* In AndreNorton's short story and novella "Outside", humanity sealed itself into [[CityInABottle domed cities]] when the surface of Earth became too polluted to support life. An epidemic later wiped out the adults. At the beginning of the story, the Rhyming Man - who looks like an old man - has begun luring some of the smallest children away. The older brother of a missing girl learns that they have been taken outside, which has fully recovered in the absence of people.

* This is basically the {{backstory}} of ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore'', both the original PS1 series and ''Armored Core 3'' continuity. While it is never really explored in the first series, the third has the Raven (ie, you, the player) destroy a [[AIIsACrapshoot malfunctioning]] [[DeusEstMachina AI Administrator]] that controls your underground habitat. After doing so, a hidden subroutine made the AI open the gates to the newly healed Earth, the new Eden. That's the first game. Needless to say, due to the humans and corporations now left without any checks and balances going to the surface, the Earth [[FromBadToWorse gets worse]] progressively through the game.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

[[folder: Real Life ]]