Silent Earth

Averting the Insect Apocalypse

By: Dave Goulson

Narrated by: Dave Goulson

Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Insects are essential for life as we know it. As they become more scarce, our world will slowly grind to a halt; we simply cannot function without them. Drawing on the latest groundbreaking research and a lifetime's study, Dave Goulson reveals the shocking decline of insect populations that has taken place in recent decades, with potentially catastrophic consequences. He passionately argues that we must all learn to love, respect and care for our six-legged friends. 

Eye-opening, inspiring and riveting, Silent Earth is part love letter to the insect world, part elegy, part rousing manifesto for a greener planet. It is a call to arms for profound change at every level - in government policy, agriculture, industry and in our own homes and gardens. Although time is running out, it is not yet too late for insect populations to recover. We may feel helpless in the face of many of the environmental issues that loom on our horizon, but Goulson shows us that we can all take simple steps to encourage insects and counter their destruction.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Dave Goulson (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Starring Goulson As Noah The Entomologist

Silent Earth, like The Insect Crisis, another title on Audible on the exact same theme, makes for an informative, depressing, and somewhat inspiring/somewhat dictatorial account of the decline of insect biota in a post-industrial world. Goulson's style of writing and reading is back yard and sometimes back alley. The first half of the book presents a chapter-by-chapter investigation into the causes behind the current global decline in invertebrate life. Its good fodder for the aspiring bugspert and the author is authoritative when it comes to knowledge about the current entomological crisis. The author does a marvelous job in connecting the current predicament insects are facing to our own predicament. The evidence presented is substantial, but one cannot help but see the author lobbying for more research funding by weaponizing the narrative doom and gloom, and why do all these professors feel compelled to spend half of the time in their books talking about all the lovely female students they have supervised? Why cannot we get some books about this stuff by them, and not just the same crusty only white man scientist trying to write a Carson best seller and talking about urinals instead?

The second half of the book is not so flash. Sorry, but it tends to morph into a little bit of a cynical rich old white man (listen to me I went to Oxford) master-plan to save the world by living on a two-acre block in Sussex, growing organic vegetables, and transforming Britain's swarming undesirables into an army of natural historians and permaculture experts who have been saved from being fat and stupid in their commission flats by eating organic fruit and vegetables and building bee hotels. It is more myopic than idiotic. And there is also a foray into fiction in which Goulson presents himself as a type of Noah figure and fantasizes about shooting poor people as the creep onto his property to try and steal his organic vegetables. Oh, when will their insolence stop!

Criticism aside, if you have to choose between Silent Earth and The Insect Crisis, Silent Earth is a better listen,

A mandatory listen

This is for me the most important book of the year. A mandatory listen for everyone. If the insects thrive, the world thrive. This book shows you how to make the world thrive.

We can’t say we haven’t been warned

Professor Dave Goulson, recently erroneously christened Doctor Bee by Radio 2, once again lays out the evidence for the coming insect apocalypse. There is no doubt that the double whammy of climate change and the decimation of the insect world will demand a horrendous toll upon humanity. However, there is hope as Professor Goulson lays out a plan of action for individuals, local government and national government to take. Will we heed his warning, only time, if there is any left, will tell. We can’t say we haven’t been warned.

Great book

This book is for everyone who is interested in nature but as Dave Goulson says himself, in the book. This book is mainly for those who don’t know about nature, insects and the environment. This book teaches without preaching and offers really good clear advice of what we can do.
Get the book, enjoy it and share it.

A must listen!

Very well read, written and layed out. covering one of the most important ecological issues of our time.

Please read this book

Thorough and thoughtful read about our situation and what we can do to help insect life and save ourselves in the process.

Essential reading.

very informative and helpful by giving lots of examples of what I can do to implement positive change.

Bit depressing, but lots of valuable insights

Book has lots of interesting facts about insects. Possibly a bit too long for me. Does make me realise that i can do more.

Well researched and written.

Good science, well written. Whilst the topic is an easy one to get caught up in fear and pessimism, he does a good job of being honest about how bad things are but maintaining a good level of optimism, with real world solutions and changes to be made on governmental, societal and individual levels.

A book for everyone about our beautiful planet.

It tells us what we did wrong but much more importantly what we can do to recover biodiversity. One of the best books I have read, bringing clarity and common sense to environmental issues. Easy to understand and wonderfully read by the author.

Fascinating and full of positive ideas.

From facts about weird and wonderful insects to the state of our planet; dystopian views of the future mixed with a myriad of positive ideas to ensure that doesn't happen.

A timely warning for the natural world.

This book was well written and well read by the author. David Goulson is passionate in his presentation of the terrible demise of species, in particular-insects. The book he refers to, Silent Spring, should have heralded a better way for us humans to treat nature but, sadly, no. David Goulson spells out with much scientific detail that the assault on nature continues unabated and is nearing catastrophe.He does,however, suggests ways and means by which this destructive process can be halted or even reversed. The question is - will enough people, in time, act on what he says.
His cameo pieces on weird and wonderful parasites of the insect world are frequently repulsive and may not win the insect kingdom any friends so, interesting as they are, he may have been better to have chosen some that are a bit more cuddly!