Did you know that clickbait and fake news were invented in the 16th century, driving the persecution of so-called ‘witches’? That an ancient Japanese city developed a sustainable, circular economy that served over a million people? That Spain has a 1000-year-old water court that still meets in public every Thursday to democratically distribute scarce irrigation water?

You’ll find all this and more in my new book, History for Tomorrow: Inspiration from the Past for the Future of Humanity, which is published this week. The book explores ten urgent challenges facing humanity in the 21st century, from climate change and hyperconsumerism to the risks of AI and threats to democracy, and asks what we can learn from the last millennium of history to tackle them in more effective ways. History, I argue, offers a vision of radical hope that could turn out to be our most vital tool for surviving and thriving in the turbulent decades ahead.

You can find out more and order yourself a copy here.

To get a taste of the book, check out: a short video I’ve made about Valencia’s extraordinary Tribunal of Waters, an article I wrote for the BBC on Japan’s circular, regenerative economy, or an interview on US National Public Radio about how disruptive movements create change.

It would be great to see you at one of the many speaking events I’m doing over the coming months, in the UK and beyond.

I would also be hugely grateful if you shared information about History for Tomorrow with anyone who you think might find hope and inspiration in its pages.

Let us be guided by the Māori proverb, Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua – “I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on the past.”