A shell of lunar fragments now orbit the Earth. Some of those orbits are stable, but many are not, leading to regular major impacts every few weeks. This has lead to a massive shift in global research and development as mankind tries desperately to fight off extinction. Huge advances in air and water purification have been made as well as in cheap but powerful domes that can be constructed over vital locations to protect them from lunar fragments. The lunar shell also makes it impossible to place or keep a satellite in orbit. Similarly, flight has become extremely dangerous and has been all but abandoned as a means of transportation. Naval travel is once again the primary means of trade, which has lead to the resurgence of the port city.
Life on Earth has finally begun to stabilize in the wake of The Sundering, with the human population just under 1 billion and a general movement towards burying infrastructure now well under way. Brazil, India and South Africa have become the world's leaders with Iran, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia, the United States and Colombia the secondary powers.
Christianity still dominates South America, while Iran serves as the center of the Muslim faith. Hinduism is still the primary religion of India, but is not regularly practiced outside of that country. Lacking a dominant cultural foundation and seeing a massive number of refugees, Africa has become a bit of a melting pot, with a wide variety of faiths that have only a minimal role in the lives of the people. Survival required cooperation and cooperation required setting aside a number of disagreements.
North America
- Most of North America north of the United States is abandoned as ash and dust in the air cause temperatures to drop.
- The surviving population of the United States moves inland and focuses on maintaining and protecting the massive food production output of the heartland.
- Battered from both sides, Central America is abandoned.
South America
- Mostly undamaged, South America begins a rise to power, with Brazil leading the way.
Europe
- The local damage from Skyfall Beta and the dropping temperatures force most of Europe to be abandoned; the people moving south, primarily into Africa.
Africa
- Lacking the same level of economic development as South America, Africa is not as quick to adapt to the influx of refugees, but by 2050 a number of countries are experiencing exponential economic growth, with South Africa leading the way.
Asia
- The drop in temperature leads to the abandonment of Russia. With the fertile lands of Southeast Asia also destroyed there is a mass exodus into the Middle East.