Decline and Fall of the Human Empire (2026)

Winner of the 2022 Royal Society Science Book Prize, Henry Gees thought-provoking account explores the rise and possible fall of humankind. For the first time in more than ten millennia, human population growth is slowing, with global numbers forecast to begin declining in the second half of this century and the human species potentially becoming extinct within 10,000 years. Gee traces humanitys dramatic rise from one species among many in the Palaeolithic past to the most dominant animal ever to live on Earth. He examines how rapid climate change, a stagnating global economy, falling birth rates and an unexplained decline in average human sperm count are making our long-term survival increasingly uncertain. Drawing on the latest scientific research, he tells humanitys extraordinary story with warmth and wit, while suggesting how our exceptional species might avoid its tragic fate. The book has been described as a combination of Jared Diamond and Arthur C. Clarke, with a dash of Douglas Adams.