The Future of Life

The most current and vital book yet from one of the worlds most renowned biologists (and two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist) is a passionate appeal for swift and decisive action to save Earths biological inheritance, as well as a strategy to achieve that rescue. Today, we realize that our world is immensely richer than anyone could have imagined. Despite this, human activity has destroyed it to the point that half of its species may be extinct by the end of the century. During the last two decades of biological diversity study, these two opposing truths—unexpected splendor and underestimated peril—have become abundantly obvious. Wilson describes what treasures of the natural world we are about to lose forever—in many cases, animals, insects, and plants we have only recently discovered and whose potential to nourish us, protect us, and cure our illnesses is immeasurable—and what we can do to save them in this dazzlingly intelligent and ultimately hopeful book. In the process, he debunks the misconception that environmental policy is opposed to economic growth by demonstrating how modern conservation approaches may secure long-term economic prosperity. The Future of Life is a magisterial achievement, serving as both a riveting depiction of our biosphere and a manual for the conservation of all of its species, including humans. ‍