The Pocket Guide to Planetary Peril

The end of life, the universe and humanity as we know it – in a handy A to Z format.

From the Atomic bomb to the Zombie apocalypse (via Black holes, Killer diseases and Space invaders), learn the truth about twenty-six fascinating doomsday scenarios. Featuring scientific facts, entertaining anecdotes and expert advice, this is a jaw-dropping book about what should REALLY be keeping you up at night.

Funny, eye-opening and charmingly illustrated, this is the perfect book for doomsayers, cynics and pessimists everywhere.

Review

Eye-opening, engaging . . . an indispensable guide to the existential risks facing humanity. Thomä masterfully presents complex issues with clarity and insight, empowering us to face these shared threats without being overwhelmed by their gravity -- Ben Caldecott, founding Director of the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group at the University of Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment

A must-read. Witty, incisive ... An utterly refreshing take on our age of risk and uncertainty! This book doesn’t just inform; it galvanises -- Sean Kidney, CEO of the Climate Bonds Initiative

A lively, fascinating guide to the many existential risks faced by 21st-century humanity - from those that we can't do much about, to those that we very much can -- Simon Mundy, Financial Times journalist and author of 'Race for Tomorrow'

This book of perils, naturally, will make you gasp and grimace; it will also make you grin. Thoma is an erudite yet charming tour guide, inviting you through his personally selected A to Z of existential threats -- Catherine Howarth OBE, Chief Executive of ShareAction

Thoma has pulled together some fascinating data about the perils we face, real and imagined. It should encourage senior executives and risk managers of all kinds to think more broadly about the hazardous and fast-changing world we live in, and how to survive in it -- Howard Davies, author of 'The Chancellors'

Irreverently insightful and all encompassing, The Pocket Guide to Planetary Peril is essential reading for anyone grappling with the polycrises threatening human existence. Equal parts wit and wisdom, this book will have you rethinking all manner of existential risk and the future of our world -- Lauren Smart, Head of S&P Global Sustainable1

About the Author

Jakob Thomä is a leading global expert on sustainability risks to financial markets. He is the co-Founder of several think tanks (2° Investing Initiative, Theia Finance Labs) and incubator of sustainability initiatives and companies (PACTA, tilt, MyFairMoney). Jakob is Professor in Practice at SOAS, University of London, where he teaches a course on Green Finance, columnist at Responsible Investor, and author of multiple books on sustainability and existential risks.