Why are air and noise pollution an issue?

Noise pollution cause a number of premature deaths within the EU - some 10 000 and at least 1 million healthy life years are lost every year in western Europe due to health effects arising from noise exposure to road traffic alone. The annual economic damage is estimated from EUR 13 million to EUR 40 billion, which may be defined as a loss of productivity of workers whose health and well-being are affected by noise, put a burden on health care systems and cause a substantial depreciation of real-estate value. Though the figures on the effect of noise pollution are considerably lower, there is no reason to consider these figures to be negligible and to argue that under subsidiarity considerations the problem of noise pollution can better be solved at national level.

Tackling noise pollution is challenging — its harmful impacts are clear, yet it occurs as a direct consequence of society's demands for increased mobility and productivity.

The stated aim of Environmental noise Directive 2002/49/EC is to define a common approach intended to avoid, prevent or reduce on a prioritised basis the harmful effects, including annoyance, due to exposure to environmental noise and at providing a basis for developing EU measures to reduce noise emitted by the major sources, in particular road and rail vehicles and infrastructure, aircraft, outdoor and industrial equipment and mobile machinery. The aim may be achieved if the following actions are taken by Member States:

• environmental noise is determined through noise mapping, by methods of assessment common to Member States
• information is made available to the public
• action plans are adopted by Member States, based upon noise mapping results, with a view to preventing and reducing environmental noise where necessary and particularly where exposure levels can induce harmful effects on human health and to preserving environmental noise quality where it is good