The Problem
The Need for Field Data on Urban Noise Pollution to Improve Decision-Making
Last updated
The Need for Field Data on Urban Noise Pollution to Improve Decision-Making
Last updated
Noise Pollution: The Second Biggest Public Health Risk After Air Quality
As urbanization accelerates and noise pollution increasingly threatens public health and economic stability, effective solutions demand accurate, real-time data. In the digital age, such data is foundational, especially in sectors like generative AI, where high-quality, diverse data drives innovation.
Today, there are over 800 million noise-sensitive people worldwide.
) show that 2.5 billion people will experience hearing loss by 2050.
that 68% of the population will live in cities by 2050, making them more crowded and noisier. This urban growth will bring safety, health, access, and mobility challenges, and noise pollution will become a significant issue for current and future communities.
The ranks noise and air pollution as being among the most harmful environmental exposures to public health. Often referred to as the “forgotten pollutant,” environmental noise is now recognized as a severe public health issue. Excessive exposure to noise can lead to various health effects, from annoyance and sleep deprivation to more severe problems, such as hearing loss and cardiovascular disease. In children, noise exposure has been linked to cognitive impairment.
The estimates that in Western Europe alone, one million healthy life years are lost each year due to traffic-related noise. Furthermore, the EU's social cost of road and rail noise exceeds €40 billion per year. In economic terms, noise pollution has a significant impact. For example, it reduces; studies have shown that properties in noisier areas can lose 1.9% of their value per additional decibel. Indeed, in . In addition, noise pollution increases healthcare costs by contributing to health problems, and it reduces productivity at work and school by causing sleep disturbance and difficulty concentrating. High noise levels can also reduce tourism revenues as visitors seek quieter destinations.
The European Union’s aims to reduce environmental noise by 30% by 2030. However, the current method of noise mapping, which relies on sampling small parts of cities and scaling the data, often leads to inaccurate representations and ineffective mitigation strategies. A more accurate approach to noise mapping could significantly improve efforts to address this growing problem.
