?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) 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. Silent Earth includes approximately 20
black-and-white illustrations and charts and graphs.
