The not-so-nice but totally natural truth

How grouchy do you get without your beauty sleep? What about when it’s beyond your control? You can have all the diffusers, crystals, rain sounds, and eye masks you want; noise pollution has a habit of cutting right through.

Noise pollution has a habit of cutting right through whatever we’re doing, and it’s not just humans getting an earful.  Species worldwide are struggling, too, which is having a disastrous effect. Like us, they’re desperate for a quieter life. But why are things so bad? First things first…

What exactly is noise pollution?

A pain in the wing. Or the fin. Officially, noise pollution is ‘any unwanted or disturbing sounds that affect the health and well-being of humans and other organisms’. High in the sky, deep in the ocean, covering anything from traffic to construction, underwater sonar to boat engines and aeroplanes – if it’s loud and human-made, it’s in the club.

Noise pollution is making the world louder

There’s no place on Earth free from human sound. Let that sink in for a second. Anywhere. On. This. Earth. In the last 250 years, noise levels on land and sea (underwater, 2-10 times higher) have boomed, and there’s a clear explanation.

Growth = noise. As society expands, particularly in cities, the general hustle of the daily bustle gets louder. Infrastructure and voices are all around us. For example, 46% of humans watch videos and take video calls in public without earphones. (You know who you are…)

The sea isn’t safe from our racket, either. Shipping noise doubles every 11.5 years on average, with container ships contributing 75% of the total share. Strangely, climate change is cranking up the volume. Greenhouse gas emissions increase the seawater's acidity, changing how salt interacts with sound and amplifying it like an unwanted megaphone in a library.

Which species are suffering from noise pollution and why?

Imagine not being able to turn your alarm or the radio off, or just about any noise that’s stopping you from focusing. If we had to guess, we’d say some species out there are feeling a bit frustrated and, in some cases, our drilling, beeping, and shouting are literally driving them to their deaths.

Noise pollution doesn’t just stop species from sleeping; it causes hearing loss, stresses them out, forces them on, and covers up their ability to hear vital environmental and animal signals – like mating calls. Dating cues are sadly missed, and keen singles are ghosting their soulmates, completely oblivious. Let’s take a look.

Ear plugs, rain sounds, and the rise of phonobia – humans and noise pollution

When was the last time noise pollution kept you up or impacted your day? It’s not just the animals that are struggling; we’re in the bleed zone, too, and for some, it can be excruciating.

Phonophobia, the debilitating fear of sound, affects 18% of the UK’s population. It’s triggered by standard, ambient environment sounds like kitchen appliances, so imagine the terror of a motorbike ripping down the street. Similarly, those suffering from hyperacusis can find some noises physically painful, which makes Zoom presentation ft. building works a definite no.

For the lucky ones, when it comes to beating noise pollution, we can tap into the magical powers of earplugs, sleep masks, and 10-hour nature playlists. The latter is increasingly popular, but is it healthy? Sounds and noise keep our inner ears busy, translating signals into messages for the brain – which can be harmful if we do it all night. These playlists might sound like butter, but we’re reducing our system's time to wind down, regenerate, and prepare for waking up.

We’re using nature to help us get to sleep while we’re keeping nature up…

But it’s not our fault. Background noise is becoming louder, and we’re gradually tuning out from the sounds of birdsong, trickling water, and trees rustling in the wind. Noise pollution is making us oblivious to the sound of the natural world, so we’re going digital, and sometimes to our detriment.

Noise pollution, humans, and nature – where do we go from here?

We can’t live in a world without sound and noise pollution – it’s an unfortunate by-product of everyday life. That doesn’t mean we can’t try to minimise its effects. Ocean Care, an underwater noise pollution organisation, has some clear directions for protecting the ocean. Here’s what we’re thinking when it comes to land:

1. If you go to a park or nature reserve, use headphones instead of a speaker, or even better, settle into the sounds of nature.

2. Turn off appliances if you’re not using them - it saves energy and reduces noise pollution caused by busy urban streets and office complexes.

3. Watch your speed around sensitive natural spaces – forests, for example.

Before you go, close your eyes. Now, for a second, imagine what 24 hours of constant mining, beeping, and shouting might be like. Your neighbours, for example, cracking out a noise marathon beyond your control. Now open your eyes, breathe, and relax, safe in the knowledge we’re all looking for a better night’s sleep, just like nature.