Noise Pollution

El pasado 11 de marzo de 2026 tuvo lugar en la sede de la Real Academia de Jurisprudencia y Legislación de España la Sesión pública organizada por la Sección de Derecho Financiero y Tributario, presidida por Doña Marta Villar Ezcurra, Catedrática de Derecho Financiero y Tributario de la Universidad CEU San Pablo.

Bajo el título “Cuestiones actuales de fiscalidad medioambiental internacional. El mecanismo de ajuste en frontera al carbono (CBAM)”, la jornada ofreció un análisis de este controvertido instrumento desde una triple perspectiva jurídica, económica e industrial, tanto en el ámbito europeo como internacional.

La primera mesa redonda de la Jornada “El CBAM como nuevo instrumento económico de las políticas europeas climáticas, energéticas y fiscales”, moderada por D. José Andrés Rozas Valdés, Catedrático de Derecho Financiero y Tributario de la Universidad de Barcelona y vocal de la Sección, contó con la participación de Dña. Cristina García-Herrera Blanco, Directora de Estudios del Instituto de Estudios Fiscales, Dña. Carmen Cámara Barroso y D. Miguel de Haro Izquierdo, ambos profesores titulares de Derecho Financiero y Tributario de la Universidad a Distancia de Madrid (UDIMA) y vocales de la Sección.

Dña. Cristina García-Herrera expuso las principales características de este mecanismo, concebido, principalmente, para evitar la fuga de carbono de la industria europea. Analizó su configuración desde la entrada en vigor del Reglamento (UE) 2023/956 del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo, de 10 de mayo de 2023, recientemente modificado por el Reglamento (UE) 2025/2083 del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo, de 8 de octubre de 2025, cuyo objetivo es simplificar su funcionamiento (a través, por ejemplo, del establecimiento de un umbral de minimis). Asimismo, se destacaron los desafíos técnicos, administrativos, económicos e internacionales que presenta la aplicación práctica de esta medida.

Dña. Carmen Cámara, por su parte, analizó la naturaleza jurídica y base legal de esta herramienta de política climática, caracterizada como una medida regulatoria adoptada mediante el procedimiento legislativo ordinario de codecisión. En esta línea, se destacó la existencia de la cuestión prejudicial planteada en el Asunto C‑512/23 ante el Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea, cuyo pronunciamiento resultará determinante para precisar su correcta calificación jurídica. Asimismo, se mencionó como argumento adicional a favor de su posible naturaleza fiscal la reciente Propuesta de Decisión por la que se modifica el sistema de recursos propios de la Unión (COM(2025) 574 final), que contempla la creación de un nuevo recurso basado en la asignación del 75 por ciento de los ingresos obtenidos por la venta de certificados del MAFC.

Por último, D. Miguel de Haro examinó la relación entre el CBAM y el Régimen europeo de comercio de derechos de emisión (EU ETS), destacando que la introducción progresiva del mecanismo está diseñada para avanzar en paralelo con la eliminación gradual de la asignación gratuita de derechos de emisión. Entre las diferencias más relevantes subrayó que el CBAM no establece un límite global de emisiones ni permite la libre comercialización de certificados, lo que lo distingue claramente del funcionamiento propio de un sistema de comercio de emisiones.

A continuación, tuvo lugar la presentación del libro “Aspectos jurídicos de la tarificación del carbono en sectores estratégicos”, publicado por la Editorial Aranzadi. La obra, compuesta por 22 capítulos, constituye el resultado de la investigación desarrollada en el marco del Proyecto de I+D “La determinación de precios del carbono en sectores estratégicos de la UE: utilización conjunta de instrumentos regulatorios, fiscales y de mercado en la lucha contra el cambio climático”, radicado en la Universidad CEU San Pablo y financiado por el Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades.

En el acto intervino, junto con los codirectores de la publicación e investigadores principales del mencionado proyecto, Dña. Marta Villar Ezcurra y D. Álvaro Antón Antón, Vicerrector del Centro de Elche de la Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, D. Manuel Pizarro Moreno, Presidente de Honor de la Real Academia de Jurisprudencia y Legislación de España, quien destacó el carácter “de 360 grados” de la obra y su aportación al estudio integral de la tarificación del carbono.

La segunda mesa redonda, titulada “Impacto del CBAM en la industria y en el contexto internacional”, contó con las intervenciones de D. Pedro Linares Llamas, Profesor de Comillas-ICAI, D. Gonzalo Escribano Francés, Investigador del Real Instituto el Cano, y Dña. Amparo Grau Ruiz, Catedrática de Derecho Financiero y Tributario de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid y vocal de la Sección. La sesión fue moderada por D. Juan Ignacio Gorospe Oviedo, Catedrático de Catedrática de Derecho Financiero y Tributario de la Universidad CEU San Pablo y también vocal de la Sección.

D. Pedro Linares subrayó varios de los elementos que incrementan la complejidad de esta medida, cuyo diseño no puede considerarse óptimo, debido en parte a la especial rigidez incorporada para garantizar su compatibilidad con las normas de la Organización Mundial del Comercio. Entre estos elementos destacó, por ejemplo, que el mecanismo no incluya a todos los sectores y que no prevea ningún régimen de exención para los exportadores. Asimismo, señaló que la acogida de la medida por parte de la industria ha sido heterogénea.

D. Gonzalo Escribano centró su intervención en tres aspectos estratégicos del mecanismo: su diseño, sus implicaciones geopolíticas y su impacto sobre las importaciones de electricidad. Analizó, en particular, las consecuencias que estas medidas pueden generar en determinados sectores -como el de los fertilizantes- y en diversos países y regiones, entre ellos Ucrania, Rusia, Turquía o los Estados del Mercosur.

Por último, Dña. Amparo Grau examinó la posición de Naciones Unidas respecto de esta medida, así como la existencia de experiencias comparables en otros ordenamientos (como, por ejemplo, Reino Unido, Brasil o India). Asimismo, puso de relieve diversos problemas asociados a su aplicación, entre ellos el elevado coste administrativo que genera, las cuestiones que suscita en relación con el federalismo fiscal y las dificultades específicas que plantea para las pequeñas y medianas empresas.

The accurate estimation of actual evapotranspiration (AET) is crucial for sustainable water resource management, especially in water-scarce and agriculturally intensive regions like Beijing and Tianjin, China. Traditional methods for AET estimation, whether empirical or physically based, often face limitations due to high data requirements, limited scalability, and sensitivity to input uncertainties. This creates a critical research gap in providing reliable AET predictions under data-limited conditions. To address this, we evaluated the efficacy of integrating four advanced machine learning (ML) models: Support Vector Machine (SVM), Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), Ensemble Tree, and Neural Network, with Bayesian hyperparameter optimization for AET modeling using the high-resolution TerraClimate dataset spanning 1958-2022. Key meteorological variables, including maximum and minimum temperature (T max and T min), solar radiation (SR), wind speed (WS), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and precipitation (PPT), were selected through rigorous correlation and multicollinearity analyses. Model performance was assessed using the coefficient of determination (R 2), mean squared error (MSE), root mean squared error (RMSE), and mean absolute error (MAE) on a 75:25 train-test split. Results demonstrate that the optimizable GPR model achieved the highest predictive accuracy (RMSE = 5.54, R 2 = 0.98 on test data), outperforming other ML approaches and traditional empirical models. PPT, T min , and T max emerged as the most influential predictors for AET. Our findings reveal that ML models, particularly when optimized via Bayesian techniques, yield a robust, scalable, and data-efficient alternative for AET estimation in regions with limited meteorological records. This study establishes a new benchmark for AET modeling, with significant implications for irrigation scheduling, drought monitoring, and integrated water management in the North China Plain and comparable agro-ecological regions.

Nowadays, environmental noise pollution is ranked second among other environmental pollutions in terms of public health impacts due to rapid urbanization and growing traffic especially road traffic. The aim of this study is to assess traffic noise levels between different types of residential areas in Nibong Tebal and Juru, Penang. This study compares road traffic noise levels in high density (Juru) and medium density (Nibong Tebal) residential areas in Penang. The noise levels measurements were carried out periodically in the morning (from 0700 to 1100), evening (from 1600 to 1900), and at night (from 2200 to 2300) for 15 minutes using sound level meter. The traffic characteristics were measured simultaneously during noise levels measurements. One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine any significant differences between two or more noise levels measured at sites of the study. Independent samples t-test was used to compare independent groups (noise levels at two different study sites and areas). In the present study, p values of less than 5% (p<0.005) were considered as statistically significant The results show that all of the noise levels measured in Juru and Nibong Tebal residential areas exceed the noise permissible limits stated in The Planning Guidelines For Environmental Noise Limits and Noise Control by low density residential areas with the permissible limits of 50dB(A) day time and 40dB(A) night time, suburban residential (medium density with the permissible limits of 55dB(A) day time and 45dB(A) night time) and urban residential (high density with the permissible limits of 60dB(A) day time and 55dB(A) night time). The equivalent continuous noise levels measured in Nibong Tebal residential areas are between 57.6 -69dB(A) while in Juru residential areas, the noise levels measured are 66.65 to 70.7dB(A). All noise levels exceed the maximum permissible sound levels in both areas.

This article focuses on the monitoring of community noise pollution in some selected sensitive areas of Kuala Lumpur that include Blue Boy Mansions residential area and LaSalle Secondary School in busiest part of Klang Valley. The objectives of the article were to monitor and to assess the existing noise levels at the selected sites. A modular precision Sound Level Meter (SLM) Type One was used in the measurements. The measurements were taken for 24-hours in the residential area and from 6 am to 7 pm in the school area (schooling hours). The measurements were taken at an interval of ten minutes and each measurement lasted for five minutes at appropriate points in

Current risk models assessing the effects of anthropogenic sound on marine mammals are complex and multivariate. It is common practice to apply some degree of conservatism, or precaution, to input variables for which uncertainty exists about the most likely real-world values. However, when precautionary inputs are applied to multiple variables in the model, their interactions can lead to accumulated changes in predictions. This can lead to highly inflated risk predictions, ultimately reducing confidence in management decisions based on these outcomes. Multivariate risk models are also used in other fields, such as meteorology and medicine, employing alternative methods to address uncertainty, methods that R. C. Gisiner (✉) Retired,

Noise Mapping is a study made to differentiate the city into zones according to different Noise levels. It records Noise as is actually present in a location and compares it to the ideal noise levels, as stipulated by the standards given. A study was conducted on the roads of Mumbai city using a Sound Level Meter (SLM). This data was tabulated to demarcate the city into different noise zones. The Leq, Noise Climate, and Noise pollution levels were calculated . This was further represented in the form of cartographic maps for easy understanding. It was found that the noise levels in overall city were very high and above the permissible limits. The average values throughout were 70-80dB.

Workplace noise poses significant health and productivity risks globally, yet localized studies in rapidly
industrializing regions like Francistown remain scarce. This study examined ambient noise impacts on
employee productivity within its manufacturing sector, where machinery noise often exceeds safe
thresholds. Using mixed methods, noise levels were measured across five industries using sound level
meters, while productivity, errors, and absenteeism were analyzed via questionnaires, interviews, and
observations. Results revealed hazardous peaks (129.5 dB) in facilities like Francistown Milling Company, surpassing OSHA limits. Productivity trends varied: Bag Auto achieved high output despite extreme
noise through PPE use, while Star Pack’s quieter environment faced inefficiencies from non-acoustic
factors. Prevalent noise types included continuous machinery hums (100 dB table saws) and
intermittent welding spikes. The study concludes that mitigation requires engineering controls
(soundproofing), administrative measures (shift rotations), and PPE enforcement, tailored to
contextual challenges. Findings urge industries to adopt holistic strategies balancing noise reduction
with operational improvements to safeguard health and enhance productivity. Key words: Evaluation; Workplace noise; Productivity; Manufacturing sector; Francistown; Botswana.

Air pollution in vehicles is one of the emerging problems of environmental concern and general
health issues in fast urbanizing cities in Nigeria, but its spatial and temporal patterns are still not
well understood within secondary urban centers like Minna, Niger State. The paper used a geo-
spatial analysis of vehicular air pollution in Minna Town at various times of the day by using
ground-level air quality measurements that had been georeferenced with GPS and analyzed using
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to graphically depict the patterns of pollutant distribution
across the urban road network. The primary pollutants that were monitored were carbon
monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, and sulphur dioxide at the chosen traffic hotspots
at different times of the day, in the morning, midday, and evening. During the afternoon period
(1:002:00 pm), the pollution became worse in most of the parameters. PM2.5 existed at its highest
level of 710 μg/m3 on Minna -Bida Road and 443 μg/m3 on Top Medical Road, with PM10 at 623
μg/m3 in Eastern Bypass. Later (1:00 2:00 pm), the pollution increased in a range of parameters.
PM2.5 was highest at 710 μg/m3 at Minna-Bida Road and 443 μg/m3 at Top Medical Road, with
PM10 at 623 μg/m3 at Eastern Bypass. In the evening (5:006:00 pm), a lot of pollutants were even
higher. The maximum PM2.5 of 410 μg/m3, PM10 of 451 μg/m3, and the highest score of CO2 of
9999 μg/m3 at Chanchaga Mekunkele Road. Findings indicated that there existed a considerable
amount of spatial and temporal variation in pollution levels, with the highest levels being observed
in the large intersections and motor parks during the rush hours. The paper suggests specific traffic
control measures, stiffer emission policies, and ongoing geo-spatial surveillance as the means of
ensuring public health in Minna and other similar cities in Nigeria.

Noise pollution is one of the main environmental problems today.The main source of environmental noise is traffic noise, especially the noise of road vehicles. The continuing expansion of motorized transport in Europe and Republic of Srpska today, and especially the sharp increase in the use of private cars raises concerns about the health risks.The aim of the case study was to determine the noise level at the location „Borik“ in Banja Luka. The measured values indicate that the noise level in this street is alarming. This paper discusses health and well-being related impacts of traffic noise pollution as well as the economic and social benefits associated with its reduction. It summarizes the latest scientific evidence on the impact of road traffic-induced noise on physical and mental health as a reaction to the high level of traffic noise risks. According to the scientific evidence, road traffic is the main source of noise pollution in Europe that cause harmful health such as impa...

This article critically examines the dichotomy between disturbance and presence in the evaluation of high-intensity anthropogenic sounds, questioning its adequacy for understanding the cultural, affective, and ecological significance of loud motor soundscapes.

The RE-SOUND – Interdisciplinary Research on Soundscapes and Acoustic Ecology (University of Bologna) organises an intensive workshop on field recording techniques and ecoacoustic analysis of urban soundscapes. This year’s workshop will cover sonic and musical interactions between Bologna and its inhabitants, particularly addressing the impacts of anthropogenic noise pollution on auditory cultures and biocultural ecosystems.
Participants will engage in hands-on activities, both in the field and through digital tools. They are expected to bring their own laptops and earphones, and prior installation of open-source software such as Sonic Visualiser for spectral analysis and Raven Lite for ecoacoustic monitoring is essential. While due to time constraints participants will receive a set of recordings which were pre-collected at precise coordinates through a standardized recording system, they are also encouraged to bring their portable recording equipment.
Each participant will analyze the shared set of recordings, identifying and tracking a specific sound source through the spectrogram. The exercise will consist in evaluating the average SPL of the selected sound source at different points in space and time, while also assessing the degree of its sonic masking induced by noise pollution or other dominant sources.
The three-hour workshop will be structured into three distinct stages, each guided by field specialists. The initial stage (30 minutes) will focus on familiarizing participants with essential tools and methodologies for Acoustic Ecology research. The second stage (1 hour) will involve a brief soundwalk across the historic centre of Bologna, providing participants with the opportunity to conduct recordings and listen-to/with the histories of places and their ongoing transformations. The first half of the final stage (30 minutes) will be dedicated to discussing the recordings collected during the soundwalk and comparing them with the pre-collected recordings obtained with the standardized recording system. In the second half of the final stage (1 hour), participants will use Sonic Visualiser and Raven Lite to conduct spectrogram analyses on the pre-collected recordings. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will be introduced to methods of sound mapping through QGIS, which enable visual representations of the results of the spectrogram analysis.

Paper in the roundtable: "ECHOFRIENDLY: developing acoustemological models and ICT tools for soundscape preservation and ecoacoustic quality assessment". Abstract: Already from Schafer’s work, studies in acoustic ecology focusing on the Arctic region often critique the presence of anthropogenic noise pollution by oversnow vehicles, viewing it as disruptive to the remote, almost mythical, natural purity and quietness of those places – a problem in need for acoustic regulations (Schafer 1977: 84-85). Ecoacoustic analyses typically rely solely on quantitative data, which do not capture, nor even consult, the complex variety of acoustemologies that local communities cultivate towards the soundscapes they share. While anthropogenic noise pollution is indeed a growing concern in habitat preservation and naturalistic destinations impacted by mass tourism, it is imperative to recognize the unique cultural contingencies where its measurement takes place. Established ecoacoustic indexes and models often overlook the cultural components of landscapes, and this is where a biocultural discussion led by ethnomusicologists could and should chime in. Throughout this paper, I share the preliminary results of a firsthand experiment aimed at bridging quantitative and qualitative methods in sound mapping by taking on biocultural approaches in the joint ecoacoustic and ethnographic analysis of soundscape. My curiosity revolved around whether quantitative methods could be applied to a context where the local onto-epistemological perception of anthropogenic noise differs from the dominant one, thus revealing Western-centric biases in the field of Acoustic Ecology. Through the development of an urban grid of 54 monitoring points in Guovdageaidnu (Sápmi) and through the realization of an interpolation map of SPL dispersion, the objective of this paper is to investigate onto-epistemological conflicts and reconciliations between Sámi and Western perceptions of noise produced by oversnow and all-terrain vehicles on Indigenous lands. Since ecoacoustic assessments significantly influence noise pollution regulations and, as a result, broader policies involving Indigenous and Human Rights, I argue that the acknowledgment of alternative sonic onto-epistemologies in urban and environmental planning becomes a crucial aspect in the process of transcultural reconciliation and decolonization. Within this framework, consultation and engagement of local communities and cultural diversities are essential methods for approximating a bioculturally sustainable and inclusive monitoring approach.

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La presente voce introduce i principi fondamentali dell’ecologia acustica e analizza le cause, gli effetti e le implicazioni dell’inquinamento acustico sugli ecosistemi, evidenziando il ruolo del suono nelle relazioni ambientali e nei processi comunicativi tra specie, nonché l’impatto di compositori e artisti del suono nell’esplorare, denunciare e reinterpretare criticamente le trasformazioni sonore dell’ambiente.

Araştırmanın amacı, okul yöneticilerinin okuldaki iş akış döngülerine ilişkin görüşlerini incelemektir. Araştırmada, nitel araştırma yaklaşımlarından fenomenolojik desen kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın katılımcılarını İzmir ili Bayraklı, Bornova, Karşıyaka ve Konak ilçelerindeki devlet okullarının ilkokul, ortaokul ve liselerinde görev yapan 50 okul yöneticisi oluşturmuştur. Veriler, araştırmacılar tarafından geliştirilen yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu ile toplanmıştır. Araştırmanın verilerinin analizi içerik analizi ile yapılmıştır. Araştırma bulgularına göre, okul yöneticilerinin görüşleri doğrultusunda okuldaki iş akışı döngülerinde en çok eğitsel iş akışı teması öne çıkmaktadır. Okul yöneticilerinin iş akış döngülerinde karşılaştığı sorunların kaynağına yönelik en çok çevresel-sistemsel sorunlar teması vurgulanmıştır. Okuldaki iş akışının sürdürülmesinde öğretmenlerin davranış örüntülerini en çok iş akışına duyarsız davranma temasıyla açıklamışlardır. Son olarak okul yöneticilerinin okuldaki iş akışı döngülerini dengeleme stratejileri incelendiğinde en çok sosyal/etkileşimsel reaktif stratejiler teması bulunmuştur. Okul yöneticilerine, etkili iletişimi sağlamak, iş akışlarını sürdürülebilir kılmak ve okul paydaşlarını bir araya getirecek önlemler almak; ayrıca sorunları önleyici ve giderici stratejiler geliştirmeleri önerilmektedir.