Earth is home to millions of species. Yet just one dominates it. Us.

Our cleverness, inventiveness, and activities have modified almost every part of our planet, impacting it profoundly. Indeed, our cleverness, inventiveness, and activities are now the drivers of every global problem we face. And every one of these problems is accelerating as we continue to grow towards a global population of ten billion.

This is not a political issue. Or a cultural issue. It’s not about saving whales or rainforests or polar bears. This is an emergency.

Written not by an environmentalist but by a world-leading computer scientist, and preaching not to the choir but to everyone with a stake in the future, Ten Billion is devastatingly easy to understand. Stephen Emmott looks at the shocking impact our species has had on the planet and focuses on the near future, as our population approaches the point where using everything from energy, food, and water slams into the limits imposed by reality. Addressing the implications for our everyday lives and the possible solutions we may or may not take comfort in, Ten Billion is a truly shocking assessment of our species’ prospects.