• Tackles the Big Question: how long will humanity survive?
• Bill McGuire is the leading British expert on volcanoes and on the ominously titled 'high-impact, low-frequency mega-geohazards'
• Examines the issues of overpopulation and exploitation, which are dramatically increasing the planet's vulnerability to natural catastrophes
• The relative dangers of human activities and natural climatic variability, with regard to global warming, are considered, confronting the question 'How bad can it get?'

New to this edition

• This is an updated reissue in the best-selling <i>Very Short Introductions</i> series of Bill McGuire's book <i>A Guide to the End of the World</i>. This edition has been fully updated following tragic recent events including the Asian Tsunami of December 2004.

Life on earth will come to an end. It's just a matter of when. Global Catastrophes: A Very Short Introduction focuses on the many potential catastrophes facing our planet and our species in the future, and looks at both the probability of these events happening and our 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 is enveloped by our giant, bloated sun. In between, other 'end of the world scenarios' will be examined, including the New Ice Age, asteroid and comet impact, supervolcanoes, and mega-tsunami.