Figure 1: Exploding Firecrackers, by Jrawat Amornpornhaemahiran (n.d.),https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/exploding-chinese-firecrackers-with-much-smoke-gm671664612-122945887

 

First of all, a Happy Lunar New Year to everyone. When people think of the Lunar New Year, one iconic instrument of celebration naturally arises in their minds.  Can you guess it? Firecrackers!

In the midst of the festive season, firecrackers are commonplace in various Chinatowns across the globe. However, not many of us in Singapore can experience the sound of firecrackers during this festive season due to the “Dangerous Fireworks Act 1972” that was passed off previously. Fortunately, those that were able to celebrate the New year in countries like Malaysia and Indonesia would realise how loud and excessive firecrackers can be to the ears. According to a study by Smoorenburg (1993), an average firecracker at a 2m distance can sound at an excess of 160 dB, similar to the sound of a pistol firing without the aid of ear muffs. Hence, it is common to see people covering their ears as the firecrackers began crackling and exploding. Unfortunately, humans are not the only recipient of such noises. One can wonder about the effects such noise pollution can have on the local urban or rural wildlife.

One study has seen adverse effects on the local urban avian population by the use of pyrotechnics during festivities. According to Bernat-Ponce et al. (2021), the amount of house sparrows in the Valencia Region of Spain has decreased significantly as juvenile productivity (breeding) has been affected by noise generated by the use of fireworks and guns. Such a decrease happened as festivities coincided with the breeding seasons of the house sparrow between May and June. From the study, we can see that noise generated by pyrotechnics can destabilize animal behaviours and hence population. Like people, noise pollution can also affect animals in many ways, such as reproduction and breeding habits, which may affect population numbers in the short run. So remember, when the opportunity arises to celebrate with a “bang”, do so minimally (if possible) to protect both people and wildlife from the sometimes unbearable joyous noises.

 

Reference

Bernat-Ponce, E., Gil-Delgado, J. A., & López-Iborra, G. M. (2021). Recreational noise pollution at traditional festivals reduces the juvenile productivity of an avian urban bioindicator. Environmental Pollution, 286, 117247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117247

Smoorenburg, G. F. (1993). Risk of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss following Exposure to Chinese Firecrackers. International Journal of Audiology, 32(6), 333–343. https://doi.org/10.3109/00206099309071864

469 Illegal Application Element – DOSarrest Internet Security. (n.d.). https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/DFA1972

Figure 1: Pursuit of Noise. From “In pursuit and defence of silence in a noisy city”, by Anam Musta’ein (n.d.), https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/pursuit-and-defence-silence

 

What is noise pollution? According to Gonzalez (2014), pollution is the presence of substances or energy forms which if exposed over a specific period, can affect people, resources, and the physical environment. Specifically, noise pollution is characterised as “flow pollutants”,  a type of pollutant that is short-lived but can cause harm to people, animals and the environment. Singapore is no stranger to noise pollution At only 710 Km²  in physical size and home to an estimated population of 5.5 million population, noises are all around the country.

When work-from-home (WFH) arrangements became the norm in Singapore due to the recent Covid-19 pandemic, many Singaporeans began to become exposed to many environmental noises, especially from their neighbours. According to Chia (2021), the Housing and Development Board (HDB) 11400 noise-related complaints were made in the first 8 months of 2020. Playing musical instruments, drilling and demolition by renovation works were some activities that encouraged these complaints by Singaporeans, including myself. Away from the HDBs, noise pollution can be found at construction sites, traffic along roads, and even the once-in-a-while fly-by of a military jet plane. These contributors to noise can be detrimental to both humans and animals.  Noise pollution has been discovered to cause stress and psychological disorders, along with heart problems (Hahad et. al., 2019). Meanwhile, wildlife in Singapore’s parks and nature reserves can also be affected by noises coming from traffic and construction works.

To prevent such problems caused by noise pollution, the Singapore Government has come up with regulations and guidelines which minimise the amount of noise and its effects on people and the environment (MSO, n.d.). It is recognised nationwide that the acceptable noise range lies at an average of 65 dBA across all types of premises in Singapore. However, this does not manage the amount of time noise can be produced in each premise. Furthermore, it is essentially difficult to manage noise from traffic which affects the local wildlife in Singapore. As no study on noise pollution on wildlife has been made so far in the local context, there lies the need for one to better manage noise pollution and control it in Singapore.

 

 

 

Reference

About Singapore. (n.d.). https://www.mfa.gov.sg/Overseas-Mission/Xiamen/About-Singapore

Chia, L. (2022, April 22). Too much noise can harm your health. That’s potentially a problem in Singapore. CNA. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna-insider/too-much-noise-can-harm-your-health-thats-potentially-problem-singapore-2350251

Ditmer, M. A., Francis, C. D., Barber, J. R., Stoner, D. C., Seymoure, B. M., Fristrup, K. M., & Carter, N. H. (2021). Light and noise pollution impacts specialist wildlife species disproportionately. Biorxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.02.18.431905

González, A. E. (2014). What Does “Noise Pollution” Mean? Journal of Environmental Protection, 05(04), 340–350. https://doi.org/10.4236/jep.2014.54037

Hahad, O., Prochaska, J. H., Daiber, A., & Münzel, T. (2019). Environmental Noise-Induced Effects on Stress Hormones, Oxidative Stress, and Vascular Dysfunction: Key Factors in the Relationship between Cerebrocardiovascular and Psychological Disorders. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2019, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/4623109

Industrial Noise Control. (n.d.). https://www.nea.gov.sg/our-services/pollution-control/noise-pollution/industrial-noise-control

In pursuit and defence of silence in a noisy city. (2021). Todayonline. https://www.todayonline.com/commentary/pursuit-and-defence-silence

MSO | Noise Regulations in Singapore. (n.d.). https://www.mnd.gov.sg/mso/infosheet-on-noise-regulations-in-singapore

The Arctic circle is one of the world’s harshest environments. Located in the northern part of the world, the region supports a large variety of wildlife which includes the likes of polar bears, narwhals and many species of penguins.  The Arctic also supports many Inuit communities living within the cold and quiet wilderness.  Recently, however, the Arctic has become a space for economic integration due to the interest of many Arctic nations (Canada, USA, Russia, Denmark etc.) in the existing oil and gas fields located beneath the large expanse of ice. This has led to the growth of many oil rigs around the arctic sea which have contributed to many types of pollution, mainly air and water pollution through black carbon and oil spills respectively. Also, shipping routes by freight transportation have been established across the arctic, which has also negatively impacted the arctic environment through the release of black carbon into the atmosphere, thereby affecting the enhanced melting of snow and ice.

Apart from such notable environmental pollution, noise pollution through increasing anthropogenic activities in the Arctic is also important to account for. Continuing from a paper that I have written for the GE3210 module “Natural Resource: Policy and Practices” and according to Richard et al (2023) & the WWF (n.d.), anthropogenic activities in the Arctic have affected the ability of marine animals to communicate via sound due to large noises produced by ship freights and oil rigs (Figure 1). Even sonars by navy vessels to help search for new oil and gas sources can increase overall noise pollution, thereby affecting behavioural patterns and inducing stress in them. Subsequently, changes in animals’ behaviour can affect the Inuit communities socially as access to food can be disrupted in the long run.

Moving from this example of the Arctic, my blog will aim to focus on and explore the causes and effects of noise pollution on different environments, be it in a natural or urban setting. Also, I hope that recommended solutions can be looked into resolving noise pollution in protecting animals, people and the environment altogether.

 

 

 

Reference

Arctic | National Geographic Society. (n.d.). https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/arctic/

Noise pollution from Arctic shipping more than doubled in six years putting whales and other marine life at risk. (2022, April 8). WWF Arctic. https://www.arcticwwf.org/newsroom/news/noise-pollution-from-arctic-shipping-more-than-doubled-in-six-years-putting-whales-and-other-marine-life-at-risk/

Oil and gas. (2022, May 13). WWF Arctic. https://www.arcticwwf.org/threats/oil-and-gas/

Pettersen, T. (n.d.). Russia’s Arctic oil rig reaches 4 million barrels – Eye on the Arctic. Eye on the Arctic. https://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2015/07/31/russias-arctic-oil-rig-reaches-4-million-barrels/

Richard, G., Mathias, D., Collin, J., Chauvaud, L., & Bonnel, J. (2023). Three-dimensional anthropogenic underwater noise modelling in an Arctic fjord for acoustic risk assessment. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 187, 114487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114487