Why past climate change tells us it's almost too late. A warning and a rallying-cry. 'Read it and weep, or read it and win' Chris Packham A global refugee crisis. Extreme storms. Agriculture devastated. Economic ruin. Societal collapse. These are not just possibilities but likely outcomes of our ongoing failure to stem greenhouse gas emissions -- and in our lifetimes.

This alarming book explains why. The Fate of the World is a 4.6-billion-year history of the Earth, putting contemporary global heating in the context of geological epochs and periods to reveal what past climate change can tell us about our planet's future. It highlights with unflinching realism how what's happening now compares with what happened in deep time -- and explains the devastating impacts that are now more likely than not. Renowned expert Bill McGuire reveals that our climate already all but matches that of the last interglacial period -- the Eemian -- when sea levels were 6 to 9 metres higher, and that it is on track to mimic the Pliocene period, when giant camels roamed the Arctic, as soon as the 2030s. Later this century, parts of our world could be experiencing double-figure temperature rises as we continue to wind the clock back 50 million years in a couple of centuries -- and without urgent preparation, our civilization is very poorly placed to survive. Notwithstanding the urgency of the message, this is a hopeful book. The future will be forbidding, but every tonne of carbon we do not emit will make it less so.

We can all do our bit, and we must. If you read just one book on the climate crisis, make it this one. Aims to be a rallying cry for a generation, An Inconvenient Truth for the 2020s Bill McGuire's writing combines scientific rigour with accessible storytelling, making complex concepts easy to understand Offers a rousing call to action: the book not only highlights the dangers of inaction regarding climate change but also encourages readers to consider their role in shaping a sustainable future. Bill has He written for many newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, The Times, The Observer, The Independent, The Scotsman, New Scientist, Science Focus, Prospect, The Big Issue and Wired. For the BBC, he has presented two Radio 4 series, Disasters in Waiting and Scientists Under Pressure, along with the End of the World Reports on Channel 5 and Sky News. He has also appeared on The Big Breakfast and Richard & Judy. Will seek endorsements from David Attenborough, Chris Packham, Bianca Jagger, Adam McKay, Dale Vince, John Vaillant, Jane Goodall, Greta Thunberg, Erin Brokovich. Competition: The Uninhabitable Earth;Fire Weather;Our Fragile Moment;Our Final Warning;The Climate Book;This Changes Everything.

John Vaillant;Ed Conway;Naomi Klein;Lawrence M. Krauss;George Monbiot;David Attenborough;Jeff Goodell;Mike Berners-Lee;Guy Shrubsole;Bill Gates;Al Gore;Hannah Ritchie.