The book fleshes out Wallace-Wells' original
New York magazine piece in more detail, dovetailing into discussions surrounding various possibilities for Earth's future across a spectrum of predicted future temperature ranges. Wallace-Wells' argues that even with active intervention, the
effects of climate change will have catastrophic impacts across multiple spheres:
rising sea levels,
extreme weather events,
extinctions,
disease outbreaks,
fires,
droughts,
famines,
earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions,
floods, and increased geopolitical conflict, among other calamities. While the book is not focused on solutions, it recognizes solutions exist to prevent the worst of the damages: "a
carbon tax and the political apparatus to aggressively phase out dirty energy; a new approach to agricultural practices and a shift away from beef and dairy in the global diet; and public investment in
green energy and
carbon capture". ==Reception==