Colonies won’t always last forever—sometimes planets revert, habitats decay, and entire worlds are left in ruins. Join us as we examine the life cycle of abandoned space settlements.

Checkout Rifftrax https://go.nebula.tv/rifftrax?ref=isaacarthur
Watch my exclusive video The Fermi Paradox – Civilization Extinction Cycles: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur-the-fermi-paradox-civilization-extinction-cycles
Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur

Grab one of our new SFIA mugs and make your morning coffee a little more futuristic — available now on our Fourthwall store! https://isaac-arthur-shop.fourthwall.com/

Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
Join Nebula: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IsaacArthur
Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-arthur
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1583992725237264/
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsaacArthur/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Isaac_A_Arthur on Twitter and RT our future content.
SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE
Credits:
Abandoned Space Colonies – How Worlds Can Unterraform Themselves
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac ArthurSelect imagery/video supplied by Getty Images
Music Courtesy of Aerium, Stellardrone, Chris Zabriskie, and Music by Epidemic Sound: http://nebula.tv/epidemic

Chapters
0:00 Intro
4:13 Why Colonies Fail
9:31 Ecological Collapse in Non-Earth Environments
12:39 Case Study – Kaluga-4, Oxygen Depletion
14:34 Unterraforming – How a World Reverts or Mutates
16:45 Abandonment Timelines
19:08 Case Study – Proxima B
22:00 Nebula
23:24 Restoration & Resettlement
25:07 Case Study – Valhalla
26:46 System-Level Context
30:29 Long-Term Patterns in a Galactic Civilization