Location from The Expanse by James S.A. Corey
Thirty billion people on a planet that can barely support them. Overpopulated, ecologically strained, running on basic income. Still the center of human civilization and seat of the United Nations government that claims authority over the entire system.
Earth is humanity's cradle, and like most cradles, it has been outgrown without being abandoned. Thirty billion people live on a planet whose carrying capacity was passed generations ago, sustained by technology, imports, and a basic income system that keeps the population fed and housed but purposeless. Most Earthers have never held a job. Most never will. The United Nations governs Earth and claims jurisdiction over Luna and the outer system, enforcing its authority through the UN Navy — the largest military force in the system. Earth's political class operates in a world of committee hearings, intelligence briefings, and diplomatic maneuvering that feels disconnected from the Belt's survival struggles. Avasarala works in this world — playing the political game with brilliance and profanity, understanding that Earth's power depends on maintaining the system's status quo. When Marco Inaros dropped asteroids on Earth, killing billions and devastating the ecosystem, it shattered the assumption that Earth was untouchable. The planet that had always been the center of everything suddenly became a victim, and the political order built on its supremacy began to crumble.
From orbit, Earth is heartbreakingly beautiful — the blue marble that every human in the system descends from, cloud-wreathed and alive in a way no colony world matches. On the surface, the reality is denser. Megacities sprawl across continents, vertical farms tower over flooded coastlines, and billions of people live on basic assistance in crowded housing blocks. The privileged few occupy green spaces and government compounds. New York hosts the UN headquarters — gleaming towers of glass and political power rising above a city that has been rebuilding itself for centuries.
Also known as: Earth, Terra