A haunting melody, a mixture of marine mammal sounds and electronic beats, fills the room. Andrea Lamount, the founder of the NGO “Sound Earth Legacy,” explains that this is just one example of a sound that our children may never hear again. Then an unfamiliar sound, a crackling noise. It’s the unique vocalisation of the vaquita marina, the rarest marine mammal on earth, on the brink of extinction due to illegal fishing. However, it’s not just rare sounds that are vanishing. Human-generated noise is obliterating natural soundscapes globally: planes disrupting the stillness of the night, ships contaminating the oceans, barking dogs, sirens, construction work, booming music.

Noise pollution is a pervasive problem that affects both humans and animals. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 1 billion people worldwide are exposed to high levels of environmental noise, which can cause significant health problems such as sleep disturbance, hearing loss, and cardiovascular disease. In urban areas, traffic noise is a major source of noise pollution. Noise levels in cities can regularly exceed 70 decibels (dB), which is considered harmful to human health. Other sources of noise pollution include construction sites, industrial areas, and airports.

Animals are also affected by noise pollution. High levels of noise can disrupt their communication, mating, and feeding patterns, as well as cause hearing damage and stress. In the ocean, marine mammals such as whales and dolphins rely heavily on sound for communication and navigation. Underwater noise pollution from activities such as shipping, oil and gas exploration, and military sonar can have devastating effects on their populations.

To address these issues, researchers and organizations are working to better understand the impacts of noise pollution on both humans and animals. This includes mapping noise levels in different environments and developing strategies to reduce noise pollution and its effects.