This is Alex McKay's story. It shows how the world could look in 2050, if we play our cards right. It's upbeat, dynamic – a world that works well for the vast majority of people.

Alex is a history teacher at Ashton Vale Community College, about to move schools, and challenged by the students to leave them with a parting gift: an account of how the world has changed since Alex became a teacher in the early 2020s.

Hence The World We Made. Part history, part personal memoir, Alex's story charts the key events, technology breakthroughs and lifestyle revolutions that make the world what it is in 2050.

- A world in which 90% of our energy comes from renewable sources, and 30% of our electricity from solar power 
- A world in which standard IT devices are computing at the same rate as the human brain, and everyone loves their robots 
- A world in which nanotechnology, 3D printing and biomimicry have transformed manufacturing 
- A world in which personal genomics allow everyone to manage their own health, live longer and healthier, and die when they want to 
- A world in which there are still rich and poor, but the rich are poorer but happier, and the poor are richer in so many ways

Based on extensive factual research, leading environmentalist Jonathon Porritt describes a sustainable world that is prosperous, exciting and healthy. Invoking a future that has happened, Porritt’s indispensable vision captures a vibrant and dynamic planet that we can work towards achieving by acting right now. The World We Made takes concepts of sustainable development out of the theoretical, and makes them engaging, tangible and urgent, thereby leapfrogging increasingly polarized, environmental debates – and, importantly, offering a unique, upbeat and positive view of such debates.

At the back of the book, a follow-up section contains ideas and information on how we personally can effect change, with links to relevant organizations, people, initiatives and campaigns, a guide to further reading, a glossary of key terms and an index for easy navigation and reference.

All royalties from the sale of the book go to support the work of Forum for the Future, one of the world's leading non-profits working towards a sustainable future.