Energy and Noise Pollution Quiz

Noise Pollution

• Sound is a pressure wave
• Sound level is measured in decibels (dB)
• Noise pollution is excessive or disturbing sound that harms human or animal activity
• Noise becomes unwanted when it disrupts or diminishes daily activities and quality of life
• Noise pollution harms physiological and psychological health

Major Community Noise Sources

• Transportation (aircrafts, vehicles, trains)
• Construction noise
• Industrial processing (machines)
• Recreation and sports

Impact of Noise on Human Health

• A pyramid showing the effects of noise on human health, starting with discomfort and annoyance, leading to stress indicators, then risk factors, and finally, mortality from diseases like cardiovascular issues.
• The source is Babisch, 2002, based on WHO, 1972.

Noise Levels of Common Sounds

• Different sounds have varying decibel levels.
• Sounds above 85dB can lead to hearing loss, depending on duration and proximity.
• Example sounds and their approximate decibel levels: breathing, leaves rustling, conversation, vacuum cleaner, heavy city traffic, power tools, motorcycle, ambulance siren, live rock concert, jet engine taking off, 12-gauge shotgun. Included are potential time and distance of exposure to hearing loss.
• This table shows the effects of sudden and prolonged exposure related to time and distance from the source.

Safe Exposure Times

• Different levels of noise exposure have different safe durations.
• Shows a table that lists the safe time limits for various exposure levels or decibel levels of dangerous sounds at certain distances.

Noise Control Techniques

• Fundamental concepts to control noise are: reducing the noise at its source, blocking or increasing the path of the noise and protecting the recipient.

Solutions for Noise Pollution

• Regular servicing of automobiles
• Servicing and lubrication of machinery
• Planting around sound generating sources
• Buildings with suitable noise absorbing materials
• Soundproof doors and windows in construction
• Hearing protection equipment for workers
• Regulations to restrict the usage of loudspeakers in public places
• Social awareness programs to educate the public about noise pollution

Noise Pollution Affecting Marine Animals

• Recent decades have seen a significant increase in marine noise pollution due to fishing, shipping, and infrastructure development.
• Noise travels 4.5 times faster in water than air
• Underwater noise interferes with marine animal communication and their ability to find food, avoid danger, communicate, rest, mate and reproduce.

Solid Waste

• Solid waste is useless and sometimes hazardous material with low liquid content - OECD
• Solid waste is considered material with no further useful purpose and discarded - UN
• Typically categorized by the producing sector

Solid Waste Categories

• Mining waste: Large amounts of rock and soil need to be removed to extract ore and this waste rock is typically left on the mining site.
• Agricultural waste: Includes waste from animals raised and the waste from harvesting and processing crops & trees.
• Industrial solid waste: Waste from manufacturing processes and demolition. This category includes many waste materials, such as construction waste.
• Municipal solid waste (MSW): Includes materials that people in an area have no further use for, such as broken or spoiled items, or waste from households, businesses, and institutions.

Global MSW Profile

• A pie chart illustrates global waste composition, categorized into Food and green, Glass, Metal, Other, Paper and cardboard, Plastic, Rubber and leather and Wood.

Waste Generation Per Capita

• A world map that shows waste generation per capita.
• The map breaks the world into colored regions based on levels of waste generation per person. The map uses a scale to help with determining waste generated per person for different countries. (Units are in kilograms).

Waste Production in the UAE

• The UAE produces approximately 4.9 million tonnes of solid waste annually.
• Approximately 8,000 tonnes of household waste is collected daily in Dubai.
• 4,118 tonnes of waste is collected daily in Al Ain.
• Information includes waste production by one person/day according to the World Bank.
• The UAE was one of the countries with the highest waste production in 2016.

Public Health Risks of Improper Waste Disposal

• Waste attracts disease carriers such as insects, flies, mosquitoes, and rodents.
• Moisture-contaminated waste (e.g., food waste, containers) can serve as breeding grounds for these pests and pathogens causing diseases in humans.
• Diseases associated with improper waste disposal include Typhoid, Cholera, Malaria, Hepatitis, Yellow Fever, Dysentery, and Gastroenteritis

Occupational Hazards

• Waste pickers face occupational risks in developing economies due to contact with harmful objects and hazardous materials in waste sites.
• Occupational hazards include the presence of sharp objects and hazardous materials.

Environmental Impacts of Improper Waste Disposal

• Water contamination (surface and groundwater)
• Loss of aesthetics and landscaping
• Air pollution (odors, harmful gases, greenhouse gases, trace gases)

Plastics in the Marine Environment

• Different amounts of plastic enter the ocean from land and sea.
• Amounts in the ocean are also shown in these classifications: Beaches, Ocean Surface, Sea Floor.

Plastic in the Ocean Patch

• Map showing the size of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Solid Waste Management

• Activities involved: Waste generation, waste handling & storage, collection, transfer & transport, processing, disposal.

Waste Generation

• Waste generation is dependent on individual habits and lifestyle
• Difficulty exists in controlling waste generation

Waste Handling & Storage at Source

• Waste handling involves managing waste until placed in storage for collection
• On-site storage is of primary importance due to public health and aesthetic concerns.

Waste Collection

• Involves gathering solid and recyclable wastes, and transporting them to designated locations like materials-processing facilities, transfer stations, or landfills.

Transfer and Transport

• Transfers waste from small collection vehicles to larger transport vehicles
• Subsequent transport is usually over long distances to processing/disposal sites

Waste Processing

• Classifies waste into categories like paper, plastics, glass, and metals.
• Sorting waste is necessary for effective processing.

Waste Disposal

• Historical disposal methods involved dumping and burning waste.
• Modern methods focus on landfills, incineration, composting, source reduction, and recycling.

Landfill

• A modern landfill is a method of disposing of solid waste in the earth, minimizing environmental hazards.
• Landfill construction considerations need proper geological conditions and citizen concern regarding contamination and diseases.
• Leachate and Landfill gas are issues associated with landfills.

Incineration

• Incineration involves burning waste to dramatically reduce its volume (up to 90%).
• It can recover energy, but considerations for public safety (air emissions & toxicity of bottom ash), and operational costs must be taken into consideration.

Composting

• A natural decomposition process that transforms organic materials from various sources into nutrient rich soil.

Source Reduction

• Focuses on volume or toxicity reduction of waste.
• Consumers and commercial sectors can participate in source reduction.
  • Consumers can reuse/reduce products through thoughtful purchases
  • Commercial sectors can alter production processes to lessen waste generation and use waste products from one sector as raw materials in another

Recycling

• Recycling is a key method of waste management that is viewed positively and feasibly.
• Recycling saves resources, reduces the dependency on landfills and lowers the volume of waste for incineration.
• Challenges of recycling include differing plastic types and their chemical composition. The quality of some recycled plastics can be poor.

Food Production and the Environment

• More than 1 billion people are involved in food production.
• They produce more than enough food for every person on Earth.
• One in nine people are food insecure
• Food security is defined as the condition under which all or most of the people in a population has daily access to sufficient nutritious food to live healthily.
• Food insecurity is defined as chronic hunger and malnutrition threatening ability to lead healthy and productive lives.

Causes of Food Insecurity

• Economic inequality
• Conflict, violence and displacement
• Agricultural practices (traditional and industrialized)
• Climate change
• Food waste

Food Insecurity: Distribution of Waste

• Shows a pie chart of wasted food (in percentage) during different processes (on farms/at slaughter, transportation/route, retail/food service, households).

Traditional Agriculture

• Uses energy from sun with human and animal labor for crop production.
• Little left over yield to sell or store after meeting the needs of the farm family.

Industrialized Agriculture

• Uses heavy equipment, large amounts of finance, and commercial inorganic fertilizers and pesticides; fossil fuels and water.

Animal Products/Farming

• Includes aquaculture, industrialized milk production, and poultry operations

Impacts of Food Production

• Biodiversity loss
• Soil quality problems (erosion)
• Water pollution
• Air pollution from greenhouse gases
• Human health effects due to pesticide residues in water, food, and air.

Human Population: Past, Present, and Future

• More than 7.7 billion people inhabit Earth.
• Close to 60% live in just 10 countries.

Population Growth Rate

• The population growth rate is the change in population size over time.
• It is found by subtracting the death rate from the birth rate.

Carrying Capacity

• The maximum population size an environment can support is called carrying capacity.
• Factors affecting carrying capacity include resources availability and the rate of resource consumption.
• Overpopulation occurs when a population's size exceeds the environment's carrying capacity..

Ecological Footprint

• The land area needed to provide resources and assimilate waste from a person or population.
• Measured in global hectares per person.

Sustainable Development

• Development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same.
• Involves considerations of society, economy, and environment.
• A list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) exists.

Energy Use

• Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) provide over 80% of global energy.
• Nuclear power is a significant source of energy but doesn't fall into this category; it's nonrenewable.

Fossil Fuels Formation

• Coal forms from plant remains that were buried over millions of years under water and dirt in swamps.
• Heat and pressure altered plant remains into coal.
• Petroleum and natural gas are formed from tiny marine plants and animals buried deep in the ocean over millions of years; heat and pressure transform these remains into oil and gas.

Fossil Fuels Role in the Industrial Revolution

• The growth of the automobile industry led to the construction of roadways, requiring energy and technological advancements.
• Bigger and faster automobiles had higher fuel demands; improved roads were needed for transportation.
• The automobile industry fostered growth in other related industries, like steel and glass production, and further economic development in the industrialized world.

Types of Energy Use

• Residential and commercial sectors, industrial customers, and transport all consume energy.

Issues Related to Fossil Fuel Use

• Coal
  • Mining disturbs landscapes.
  • Extraction releases acidic water (sulfur, water, oxygen) that is called acid mine drainage.
  • Burning coal leads to air pollution.
• Oil
  • Extraction and transport can pose major technological challenges.
  • Oil spills during these processes are harmful environmental issues.
  • Air pollution is a consequence of burning oil
• Natural Gas
  • Natural gas is less disruptive to the environment than coal and oil.
  • It's cleaner burning, leaving carbon dioxide and water as combustion products.

Nuclear Power

• Uranium, used for nuclear power, is obtained through mining; therefore, it's another nonrenewable resource.
• Nuclear power has challenges, including needing safety measures for protection from radiation for the worker and public, designing safer reactors, and the disposal of nuclear waste.

Test your knowledge on energy sources and their environmental impacts, as well as the fundamentals of noise pollution. This quiz covers topics from nuclear and renewable energy to sound measurement and control techniques. Challenge yourself and learn more about these crucial issues in today's world.