Focuses on the many potential catastrophes facing our planet and our species in the future, and discusses both the probability of these events happening and the chances of survival. Coverage extends from discussion of the likely consequences of the current global warming to the inevitable destruction of the earth in the far future, when it could be enveloped by our giant, bloated sun.
Foreword; 1. A very short introduction to the earth; 2. Global warming: a lot of hot air?; 3. Whatever happened to the next Ice Age?; 4. The enemy within: supervolcanoes, giant quakes, and megatsunami; 5. The threat from space: asteroid & comet impacts; 6. Five billion years AD: the earth's final days; 7. Epilogue