'We are travelling at breakneck speed into an era of extremes - extremes of wealth and poverty, extremes in technology, extremes in globalization. If we are to survive, we must learn how to manage them all.' James Martin, one of the world's most widely respected authorities on the impact of technology on society, argues that we are living at a turning point in human history and that it is in the scientific breakthroughs of the new century that we will find new hope. Martin sets out the key challenges he sees ahead and proposes an interconnected set of solutions to each challenge. From ways to address climate change to genetic modification of humans, he demonstrates that rather than destroy our planet, and ourselves with it, we have the potential for a magnificent future. Provacative and controversial, this blueprint for change is essential reading. In ten years' time, it may be too late.