Noise and light pollution are often overlooked in the grand scheme of the total pollution topic. Both are very relevant in this topic and have many issues that need to be addressed and fixed.
Noise pollution is when a developed building or area produces loud sounds for a prolonged time. This includes things from a concert in an outdoor space, a house playing music loudly, or a residential area with high traffic noise. The noise pollution caused can be harmful to animals and humans as it disrupts sleep and causes stress.
Light pollution is an excessive or disturbing light that may be harmful to animals or humans. This occurs when there are too many sources of artificial light in an outdoor area. This type of pollution disrupts the natural light of the night sky. This can often cause disruption of sleep and confusion of animals. Furthermore, an excessive use of artificial light demonstrates inefficient energy use and can be a dangerous distraction to the nearby traffic.
As stated, noise and light pollution can interfere with animal communication, hinder their foraging abilities, and impact where they live. One example is how bats use ultrasonic sound waves to get around and to locate their prey. With the noise pollution it interferes with this and causes more time and energy to be spent locating their food sources. More examples are the shipping lanes in the U.K that can be deafening to gray and harbor seals, and noise from ships are impacting orcas’ ability to navigate the ocean, forage, and avoid potential hazards.
To help with this the members of the community can help reduce noise and light pollution by using only the necessary lighting and reducing the amount of noise produced. Turning off the light when not in use or setting up timers to automatically shut off and install outdoor lights minimally will help to reduce the amount of light pollution and to help save the amount of electricity used.
Global Environmental Change 