In the driest place on earth the eerie salt pools of the Atacama Desert, Chile may hold the key to our future. The lithium that swirls in the prehistoric water could be capable of storing the energy we need to power our world for generations to come.

'Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Our Future', written by Ed Conway, explores which materials we have relied upon to build civilisations and how we will use them to forge our future.

Abridged by Anna Magnusson
Read by John Hollingworth
Produced by Naomi Walmsley Show less