HOW DOES THIS FUTURISTIC SETTING SOUND?

I don't think I'll be starting anything soon, but I have a basic premise and setting for what I'd like to use for a project. This is sort of like a rough draft since it's all in point form. I'd just like to know, what do you folks think? I have some character and story ideas in mind, but none of those are a part of what I have here.


1. Humans live underground due to the surface world becoming too polluted.

2. Despite the human race trying to start fresh all over again, qualities such as greed, power, and ruthlessness determine success in life. Those who do not trample over others to get ahead are often left behind in poverty-striken slums.

3. Medical research has become so advanced that immortality is now attainable due to transplants being possible for any part of the body at all, and rejections have become a thing of the past.

4. To avoid the cluttering of garbage or increase in pollution, all human waste (garbage and sewage) is shot to the sun in a very low cost rocket at the start of every month.

5. Electricity is now generated from thermal energy harnessed from the core of the planet. Solar power is also used extensively. Before going underground, the human race set up a vast and complex system of solar panels across the globe, gathering sunlight at all hours of the day and sending it underground.

6. Crime in the slums is almost out of control, but those who live comfortably and outside of the slums ignore the problems of the poor almost entirely. Those in control have adopted a sort of survival of the fittest mantra. They believe that if you can't survive in the slums, then that's just basically too bad for you! If anyone dies in the slums, it is viewed as population control (due to the human race no longer wishing to have such a large global population). However, if deaths occur outside of the slums, it is investigated very thoroughly and anyone found to be guilty of orchestrating a murder will then be murdered themselves.

7. The governments are now all dictatorships, as it is believed that this is the best way to govern the new underground civilization. Warfare between underground nations never really occurs due to some nations being completely cut off from others. All nation basically leave each other alone and they are expected to fend for themselves.

8. There are only five pre-underground nations still in existence. They are Australia, Canada, China, Japan, and Russia (which absorbed Scandinavia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom). Many nations did not last after transitioning to the underground for various reasons (finances, rebel uprisings, etc.) while others, such as the United States, decided that they didn't need to tough it out underground and stayed above ground.

9. On the subject of nations that stayed above ground, none of them would prosper. The only nations that still go by their original names and are above ground are Alaska (broken off from USA due to inability to travel there safely anymore), Brazil, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Mongolia, Spain, and the United States. All of these nations have broken down and are entirely self-governed now. Some are horrific places to live filled with anarchy and cannibalism while others simply tough out the conditions, surviving off of an endless supply of illegal substances, prostitution, and more. The average lifespan above ground is now between 30 and 50, though many people of all ages become terminally ill and die quickly. The population of the surface is in rapid decline.

10. Of the underground nations, Australia and China are the less desirable of the five to live in. The others are all considered quite well off for various reasons. Canadians are the healthiest of the underground dwellers due to having an impressively advanced water filtration system that draws from their massive reserves, and they are reluctant to share any information or secrets regarding their water systems with other nations. Japan on the other hand is the most technologically advanced and harnesses the most electricity (often at half the cost and effort required by other nations). Russia is well off simply because they have immense manpower that is able to guarantee that all of their zones are well administered and maintained.

11. Highly advanced security systems and expertly trained soldiers both protect the underground from the surface dwellers who try to free themselves of the horrors of living above ground. No known intruders from the surface have ever made it into the underground.


Just sniffing around to see if you guys think it sounds decent or not. Points 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 11 are all set in stone. For points 8, 9, and 10 I'm a bit on the fence about. If I use real locations then it adds an air of familiarity to the setting, but part of me feels like making up names for the underground nations.