The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire: Why Our Species is on the Edge of Extinction

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Henry Gee

The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire

Why Our Species is on the Edge of Extinction

Henry Gee

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Hardback

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English

Picador
10 June 2025

General & world history; Early man; Space science

A marvellously engaging writer' - The Times

From the winner of the 2022 Royal Society Science Book Prize, a thrilling and thought-provoking account of the rise and fall of humankind.

For the first time in over ten millennia, the rate of human population growth is slowing down. The global population is forecast to begin declining in the second half of this century, and in 10,000 years' time, our species will likely be extinct.

In The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire, Henry Gee shows how we arrived at this crucial moment in our history, beginning his story deep in the palaeolithic past and charting our dramatic rise from one species of human among many - teetering on the edge of extinction for more than a hundred millennia - to the most dominant animal to ever live on Earth.

But rapid climate change, a stagnating global economy, falling birth rates and an unexplainable decline in average human sperm count are combining to make our chances for longevity increasingly slim. There could be a way forward, but the launch window is narrow.

Gee argues that unless Homo sapiens establishes successful colonies in space within the next two centuries, our species is likely to stay earthbound and will have vanished entirely within another 10,000 years, bringing the seven-million-year story of the human lineage to an end.

Drawing on a dazzling array of the latest scientific research, Gee tells the extraordinary story of humanity with characteristic warmth and wit, and suggests how our exceptional species might avoid its tragic fate.

By: Henry Gee
Imprint: Picador
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 225mm, Width: 145mm, Spine: 27mm
Weight: 396g
ISBN: 9781035030835
ISBN 10: 1035030837
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 10 June 2025
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Dr Henry Gee was born in 1962. He was educated at the universities of Leeds and Cambridge. For more than three decades he has been a writer and editor at the international science journal Nature. His latest book, A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth, won the 2021 Royal Society Science Book Prize and has been translated into over two dozen languages. He lives in Cromer, Norfolk, with his family and numerous pets.

Reviews for The Decline and Fall of the Human Empire: Why Our Species is on the Edge of Extinction

A real corker of a book, beautifully crafted, superbly researched, witty, with lashes of humour, telling the gripping story of why our human species will ultimately go the way of the dinosaurs. Compulsory reading for all humans, mandatory reading for politicians -- John Long, author of <i>The Secret History of Sharks</i> Never has the prospect of human extinction been so exhilarating, at least to read about. With the witty and conversational style that won him the Royal Society Science Book prize, Henry Gee tackles the existential question of humanity’s future. Measured and enlightening, Henry Gee is a sage, and what he writes is worth our attention as we peer into the unknown next steps of humankind. -- Steve Brusatte, author of <i>The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs</i>