Pollution, famine, pandemic diseases, record-setting weather events, social unrest and cultural inequalities-all are the result of the collective choices humans make. Our drive to survive, combined with our unique abilities, has turned us into the greatest threat to our future. Drawing from seminal research about the rise of the Anthropocene age, David Walter presents a clear, elegant view of how we got ourselves into this conundrum. Grounded in a deep understanding of science and cultural history, Walter masterfully tells the story of how Homo sapiens moved from one challenge to the next with the best of intentions while not comprehending the consequences. Encompassing our tribal origins to our current atomic age, from the impulse to shape stones for tools to the development of internal combustion, this sweeping narrative ultimately offers a rational route toward a sustainable, livable future, and the role each of us can play in that transformation.