Climate change is the world’s biggest problem. It affects every human being on Earth, and it’s going to fundamentally alter every human institution and way of life, from business and economics to politics to spirituality, religion, culture, and identity. But, as big as it is, climate change is not “the end of history.” In fact, it’s just the beginning of a new phase of the history of humanity, one that presents opportunities as well as challenges. Being ready to ride this wave of change is the true calling of our times.

Historian Sean Munger, an expert on the history of climate change, has written this short, concise, listenable book for the lay person who wants to know what we might expect in a climate-changed world, and how we might deal with it. It’s informed by history: using lessons from the past to make reasonable projections about how things might go in the future. The Warmest Tide cuts through media noise, political froth, and does not contain a single scientific chart or graph. It’s not a polemic, a jeremiad, or a manifesto. Instead, it’s a no-nonsense look at where history tells us we may be going. Although climate change and global warming are unprecedented challenges, you may be surprised by how much the past can tell us about our future.