BioCrisis
The BioCrisis refers to an environmental crisis prior to the events of Oni.
- The air supply in the cities is systematically filtered and decontaminated by ACCs.
- Massive contaminated areas (Wilderness Preserves) exist outside the cities.
One effect of the BioCrisis is the supposed death of Jamie Hasegawa.
Facts
Class 3 and 4 toxins
Class 4 (airborne) mentioned only in the context of the hypothetical inversion process (see below).
- Steady rise in class 3 pollutants mentioned in the testing protocol (improved technology).
Dioxin
A steady rise in dioxin levels is reported by the STURMANDERUNG consoles in CHAPTER 14 . DAWN OF THE CHRYSALIS.
- (this is presented as a side effect of the preliminary phase of Muro's plan)
- (the main phase apparently being to trigger the inversion process below)
BioCrisis Subcommittee
Quote from CHAPTER 07 . A FRIEND IN NEED
TOWER SHUTDOWN |
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TOWER SHUTDOWN The new systems modifications are designed to combat the steady rise in Class 3 atmospheric pollutants but the new parts have not been tested at full capacity. The second tier test will be followed by a test of the third tier, assuming everything goes according to plan. |
Inversion process
- Hypothetical malfunctioning of the ACCs with dramatic consequences.
Quote from CHAPTER 07 . A FRIEND IN NEED
ATMOSPHERIC INVERSION PROCESS TESTING As a result the Class 3 toxins we are most concerned about would pass through the system untreated. There is even a chance that the they would be charged as they passed through the coupler transforming them into Class 4 airborne toxins. |
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ATMOSPHERIC INVERSION PROCESS TESTING [cont] Needless to say the environmental damage in such an event would be catastrophic and irreversible. All crews must be aware of this danger and pay strict attention to the posted maintenance schedules and testing protocols. |
Added value
Easy to ignore
According to Hasegawa's diary (for what it's worth ^_^), the contaminated areas were one of the "dirty secrets" of the WCG.
- As further suggested (by the manual), the WCG had no interest to repair the damage being done to the environment.
- However, a BioCrisis Subcommittee was dedicated to monitoring the status of the pollution and augmenting the efficiency of the ACCs.
It is likely (although ambiguously stated) that the highly concentrated waste produced during decontamination was improperly disposed of.
- This resulted in a highly contaminated soil ("a poisonous world") in the vicinity of the ACCs or wherewer that waste was disposed of.
- Hasegawa's description of a typical Wilderness Preserve (for what it's worth ^_^) is reminiscent of Miyazaki's Nausicaa.
WCG seems to have no policy to repair that particular damage, and even containment thereof is apparently not a priority.
Aftermath
"The dead and the dying" could indeed become a common sight in the cities affected by the destruction of the ACCs.
- The supposed inversion didn't take place, but the now unavailable ACCs were performing a non-negligible decontamination work.
- Thus, even if we're far from the "dead air and foul water" promised by Muro, "underground" life and rationing come to mind.
On the other hand, a dramatic decrease of the world's population would mean much less pollution in the years to come.
- This would allow for a local or global regeneration of the biosphere (à la Ergo Proxy or Nausicaa)
In a highly hostile environment, the population is more of a burden than a source of power. It would probably be left to itself.
- In one of the remaining cities, on the contrary, it can be organized into a strong community under the protection of leaders.
- Ecoban or the Domes in Ergo Proxy come to mind: basically every intact city can become a utopian mini-state after Oni.
(some of this is of course off-topic here and could be developed in 12/3 or elsewhere)