Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse

by Dave Goulson Narrated by Dave Goulson

Overview

In the tradition of Rachel Carson's groundbreaking environmental classic Silent Spring, an award-winning entomologist and conservationist explains the importance of insects to our survival, and offers a clarion call to avoid a looming ecological disaster of our own making.

Drawing on thirty years of research, Goulson has written an accessible, fascinating, and important book that examines the evidence of an alarming drop in insect numbers around the world. “If we lose the insects, then everything is going to collapse,” he warned in a recent interview in the New York Times-beginning with humans' food supply. The main cause of this decrease in insect populations is the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides. Hence, Silent Earth's nod to Rachel Carson's classic Silent Spring which, when published in 1962, led to the global banning of DDT. This was a huge victory for science and ecological health at the time.

Yet before long, new pesticides just as lethal as DDT were introduced, and today, humanity finds itself on the brink of a new crisis. What will happen when the bugs are all gone? Goulson explores the intrinsic connection between climate change, nature, wildlife, and the shrinking biodiversity and analyzes the harmful impact for the earth and its inhabitants.

Meanwhile we have all read stories about hive collapse syndrome affecting honeybee colonies and the tragic decline of monarch butterflies in North America, and more. But it is not too late to arrest this decline, and Silent Earth should be the clarion call. Smart, eye-opening, and essential, Silent Earth is a forceful call to action to save our world, and ultimately, ourselves.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Editorial Reviews

NOVEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

Entomologist, bumblebee expert, and public scientist Dave Goulson narrates this audiobook in a pleasing British accent and non-dogmatic tone. His easy delivery of hard truths makes a powerful argument, which is subtitled “Averting the Insect Apocalypse.” He presents his case for immediate and drastic action with the authority of a scientist who knows whereof he speaks, does the work, and shares his knowledge in a nuanced and balanced way. His sections on Monarch butterflies and bumblebees, as well as his insights on insecticides and GMOs, are nuanced, informed, and compelling. His final two chapters matter: One is a dystopian set piece on what the 2060s might be like if we don’t act (awful), and the final chapter is on what could and should be done. Listen and learn. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

06/21/2021

Entomologist Goulson (The Garden Jungle) decries “alarming declines” in world insect populations in this perhaps too impassioned treatise. A drastic drop in bug life is catastrophic for biodiversity and “all terrestrial and freshwater food chains,” Goulson warns, and the reasons come down to climate change, habitat loss, overuse of pesticides, and the spread of invasive diseases. Touting insects as “the rivets that keep the ecosystem functioning,” the author envisions an “impoverished and degraded” bugless Earth and points out problems already popping up in China, Bengal, and Brazil, where farmers must hand-pollinate their crops because of a bee shortage. Insects service 87% of flora, he writes, and they provide food to nearly 80% of humans . Though Goulson makes a strong case, his haughty tone (“I am not... religious, but if you are, consider this; Do you really think God created wonderful diversity... so that we could exterminate it?”) and vague conjecturing (“I would guess that more than 90 percent of the world’s population do not think at all about environmental issues”) detract from his message’s urgency. Goulson’s enthusiasm for the insect world is evident, but it also unfortunately drowns out the science. (Sept.)

From the Publisher

Goulson's book is not only enormously informative, but also hugely entertaining: its light touch and constant humor make cutting-edge research a pleasure to read about. For anyone interested in the natural world, this is essential reading.”  — Independent (London)

“A terrific book…A thoughtful explanation of how the dramatic decline of insect species and numbers poses a dire threat to all life on earth.” — Booklist (Starred Review)

"An attempt to educate us in the eccentric beauty of insects and their absolute necessity." — Sunday Times (London)

“The book’s greatest strength is its insistence that change is possible, and that everyone can make it happen in small and large ways. Goulson steps seamlessly between knowledgeable professor and impassioned environmentalist, and you can’t help but get on board.” — Sierra Magazine

“An intense cri de coeur for saving insects…The question now is whether they can survive what humans have done to the earth.” — Times Literary Supplement (London)

Sierra Magazine

The book’s greatest strength is its insistence that change is possible, and that everyone can make it happen in small and large ways. Goulson steps seamlessly between knowledgeable professor and impassioned environmentalist, and you can’t help but get on board.

Booklist (Starred Review)

A terrific book…A thoughtful explanation of how the dramatic decline of insect species and numbers poses a dire threat to all life on earth.

Times Literary Supplement (London)

An intense cri de coeur for saving insects…The question now is whether they can survive what humans have done to the earth.

Sunday Times (London)

"An attempt to educate us in the eccentric beauty of insects and their absolute necessity."

Independent (London)

Goulson's book is not only enormously informative, but also hugely entertaining: its light touch and constant humor make cutting-edge research a pleasure to read about. For anyone interested in the natural world, this is essential reading.” 

NPR

"A STING IN THE TALE melts memoir and conservation into a sweet pot, moving from subject to subject in the manner of a foraging bee seeking flowers...A warm and delightful book: I frequently found myself wanting to go bird and bee-watching, to find for myself the species Goulson discusses."

NOVEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

Entomologist, bumblebee expert, and public scientist Dave Goulson narrates this audiobook in a pleasing British accent and non-dogmatic tone. His easy delivery of hard truths makes a powerful argument, which is subtitled “Averting the Insect Apocalypse.” He presents his case for immediate and drastic action with the authority of a scientist who knows whereof he speaks, does the work, and shares his knowledge in a nuanced and balanced way. His sections on Monarch butterflies and bumblebees, as well as his insights on insecticides and GMOs, are nuanced, informed, and compelling. His final two chapters matter: One is a dystopian set piece on what the 2060s might be like if we don’t act (awful), and the final chapter is on what could and should be done. Listen and learn. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2021-07-27
An award-winning entomologist and conservationist examines the importance of insects to our ongoing survival.

Goulson, a professor of biology at the University of Sussex who has written about bees and other insects in A Sting in the Tale and other books, begins by exploring the history of these fascinating creatures, reflecting on periods in his life when butterflies and bees were more abundant than they are today. He also laments that future generations will likely see even fewer. Unfortunately, most people view insects as pests. However, the reality is that “as insects become more scarce, our world will slowly grind to a halt, for it cannot function without them.” Goulson offers a devastating vision of the future—marked by starvation, disease, and lawlessness—that will come to pass unless meaningful action to protect insects is undertaken immediately. Among the many reasons for their decline are pesticides, light pollution, temperature changes, and the introduction of foreign plants and insects into local communities. Even though the author has dedicated years of his life to his research, he also acknowledges that ecologists and entomologists have “done a poor job of explaining the vital importance of insects to the general public.” Striving to educate, he shows that while countless species are rapidly going extinct, there are glimmers of hope. “It is not yet too late,” he writes. “Only a small proportion of insects…has gone extinct so far.” Through concerted efforts—youth education, demands for political action and sustainable farming systems, and programs to green urban areas—there is still time for us to avert the apocalypse of the subtitle. Although much of the information here will not be new or surprising to avid nature readers, the author’s enthusiasm and conversational tone drive home the need for change and create an inspiring reading experience.

A hopeful, scientifically lucid, and timely call to action.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172991905
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/28/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged

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