It took 3.5 billion years for multicelled life to appear on Earth, another 540 million for humans to evolve. By 1804, there were only 1 billion of us. There are now nearly 8 billion of us, and we now add another billion every 12-14 years. In the last 50 years, our use of natural resources has accelerated beyond the boundaries which sustain life on Earth, destroying the habitats in which ecosystems can prevail. The numer of vertebrates on the planet has fallen by 70% since only 1970, and 8 species become extinct each hour. We are living through the greatest and fastest mas extinction the planet has ever seen. Now we add climate change: the greenhouse gases we add to our atmosphere retain the equivalent of 5 Hiroshima bombs of energy each second within it. Energy in an atmospheric system causes weather- and we are experiencing more frequent and more extreme weather events around the world. Polar ice is melting and sea levels rising at ever-faster rates. The threat to human health is accelerating. And this can only get worse: 1/5th of the CO2 we release today will still be warming the planet in 33,000 years time, and 70% will be doing so in 100,000 years. Immediate human survival depends upon immediate and meaningful action- but this is not happening. Hugh will discuss the implications of this torpid state.