Giving Compass
  • Sign In
  • About Us
    About Giving Compass How We Choose Content and Organizations Annual Reflections Our Newsletter
  • Getting Started
  • Learn About Issues
    Topic Guides
    Animal Welfare COVID-19 Criminal Justice Democracy Disaster Relief Education Environment Health Homelessness Immigrants and Refugees Racial Equity Women and Girls
    Curated Articles
    Partner Collections Giving Compass Selections See All Articles
  • Give to Causes
    Issue Funds & Intermediaries Projects Nonprofits
  • Get Involved
    Philanthropy Resource Directory Events Volunteer Opportunities
  • Partner With Us
    Nonprofits Authors Use Our Content Services Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Sign Up
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Sign In

Noise Pollution is One of the Biggest Health Risks in City Life

The Naked Scientists Jun 4, 2018
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
Click here for more.
Noise Pollution is One of the Biggest Health Risks in City Life Giving Compass
  •  Share
  •  Save
Share

Giving Compass’ Take:

• As part of the Green Week conference where the EU comes together to share ideas about improving life in cities, Dr. David Rojas shared his research into the dangers of noise pollution and how cities can improve the health of their occupants. 

• How can philanthropy support healthier urban design? How can noise pollution gain a prominent place in public health discussions? 

• Find out how cities can get the most out of their parks.


Noise is one of the biggest pollutants in modern cities but the risk is often overlooked despite being linked to an increased risk of early death, according to research conducted by scientists.

‘Noise produces a stimulus to the central nervous system and this stimulus releases some hormones,’ said Dr. David Rojas from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health in Spain.

(This) increases the risk of hypertension, and hypertension has been related with many other cardiovascular (and) cerebrovascular diseases like infarction (heart attacks) and strokes.

He was speaking in Brussels, Belgium, on 23 May at the annual Green Week conference, part of a Europe-wide event to help people swap best practices on environmental activities and policies. This year’s focus is how the EU is helping cities to become better places to live and work.

Dr. Rojas, an environmental health researcher, says that despite the fact that noise pollution is a major public health problem in cities – and, in fact, beats air pollution as a risk factor in Barcelona – there is a tendency to overlook the problem because we can tune it out.

Dr. Rojas’ research, which was carried out under the HELIX and PASTA projects, gathered data on the multiplicity of pollutants that we encounter in cities. He hopes the findings can be used to shape policies that could help improve health in urban areas.

For example, improving cycling infrastructure and encouraging parents to walk their children to school could not only cut noise and air pollution but would also improve levels of physical activity.

Read the full article about noise pollution by Joanna Roberts at The Naked Scientists.

  •  Share
  •  Save
Share

Learning and benchmarking are key steps towards becoming an impact giver. If you are interested in giving with impact on Public Health take a look at these selections from Giving Compass.

  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    WASH Service: Financial Viability vs. User Affordability

    Giving Compass' Take: • WASH Funders examines the financial soundness of  six different service delivery models in the sector, specifically looking for institutions that can scale properly. • Which models were most effective and how can they be replicated? One big takeaway is to never lose sight of the needs for consumers, especially those in low-income areas. • Here's why women are often hit hardest by adequate WASH access. In a new publication we explore the financial viability of six urban WASH service delivery models. Each case study had three common features: 1) service delivery is overseen by a locally mandated institution, directly or through public-private partnership; 2) a significant portion of the target customer base (in most cases the entire customer base) live in low-income areas of the city; and 3) the model has demonstrated financial viability over a sustained period, with the result that the service provider can be confident of recovering costs and in some cases generating profit. Ensuring that WASH services recover costs while remaining affordable for low-income households, and reaching the city’s most vulnerable residents, is a constant balancing act. Our publication, Balancing financial viability and user affordability, shows it can be done. In this blog we share some key insights. Combined with the right incentives, targeted institutional support can bring a huge return on investment in terms of benefits to low-income consumers. A case in point is the institutional reform implemented by JIRAMA, the water utility in Madagascar. Since 2010 WSUP and JIRAMA have worked in partnership to implement a Non-Revenue Water (NRW) reduction program, aimed at improving the utility’s financial efficiency and overall performance. By prioritizing leakage detection among other measures, the utility has made huge efficiency savings which have been used to strengthen water supply across the city. WSUP estimates that more than 700,000 low-income consumers have benefitted from the program, with a projected net financial gain to JIRAMA of US$ 2.4 million for the period 2011-2020 for reinvestment into services in low-income communities. Read the full article about financial viability in WASH service delivery models by Sam Drabble at WASHfunders.


Looking for a way to get involved?

Public Health is a fascinating topic, and others found these events, galas, conferences and volunteering opportunities aggregated by Giving Compass to be relevant for individuals with a passion for Public Health.

Loading...
Learn More

Are you ready to give?

If you are looking for opportunities to take action and give money to Public Health, here are some Giving Funds, Charitable Organizations and Projects aggregated by Giving Compass where you can take immediate action.

Loading...
Learn More
Connect

Loading...

Loading...

Learn More
Take Action

Loading...

Loading...

Loading...

Learn More
More from
Giving Compass
  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    The Consequences of Air Pollution on Brain Development
  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    Reducing Air Pollution Can Begin at Home
  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    Trinity to Lead €12m European Project Bringing Nature to Cities
Follow Us
Newsletter

Become a newsletter subscriber to stay up-to-date on the latest Giving Compass news.

About Us
  • About Giving Compass
  • In The News
  • Contact Us
  • Content at Giving Compass
  • Partner With Us
Trending Issues
  • Environment
  • Homelessness
  • STEM Education
  • Equal Pay Act
  • Gender Equality

Copyright © 2021, Giving Compass, LLC

•
  • Privacy Policy
  • User Agreement

Sign in

Your personal information is confidential at Giving Compass. For more information, please visit our privacy policy. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use.