Wilson begins The Future of Life with a letter to Henry David Thoreau. He writes to Thoreau about Thoreau's observations of nature and his books Walden, Faith in a Seed, and Wild Fruits. He also describes what the area around Walden Pond is like today.
In Chapter 1 "To the Ends of the Earth," Wilson describes some of the organisms that live in extreme environments. At first glance, the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica seem to be devoid of life, but they are teaming with microorganisms that can live in the extreme cold and dryness. He also describes hyperthermophiles, organisms that love extreme heat, and Deinococcus radiodurans, a microorganism which can withstand levels of radiation capable of killing humans and other organisms.
In Chapter 2 "The Bottleneck," Wilson discusses the human birthrate and what the human population could be in 2050, based on whether the current birthrate increases, remains, the same, or declines at different rates. He also calculates how large of a human population the Earth could hold.
In Chapter 3 "Nature's Last Stand," Wilson discusses some of the ecosystems which have seen a great number of endangerments and extinctions after the arrival of humans, such as Hawaii, Vancouver Island, and the Amazonian rainforest. In Chapter 4 "The Planetary Killer," Wilson further describes other species which are either endangered or extinct due to the actions of humans.
In Chapter 5 "How Much is the Biosphere Worth?" Wilson relates that an international team put a value of $33 trillion per year on all of the ecosystems services that are provided by the natural living environment. Ecosystems services include "the regulation of the atmosphere and the climate; the purification and retention of fresh water; the formation and enrichment of the soil; nutrient recycling; the detoxification and recirculation of waste; the pollination of crops; and the production of lumber, fodder, and biomass fuel." Wilson also discusses some of the medical and pharmaceutical compounds that have been discovered in the natural environment, such as non-addictive pain killers and drugs used to treat HIV.
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