UN sustainable development goals: why acoustics cannot be overlooked
the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, or SDGs, are a roadmap to address some of the biggest challenges facing the world today.
Developed in 2015, the UN’s SDGs have been adopted by almost 200 countries around the world and now underpin many policies, regulations and directives put in place by participating nations. While some of the SDGs have clear markers to achieving their respective goals, others are more open to interpretation; UN SDG 3 is for Good Health & Wellbeing and aims to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for everyone.
As more and more evidence suggests that excessive noise and noise pollution can cause adverse physical and mental health effects, some following the SDG’s guidance are beginning to question why noise, and mitigating its impact, isn’t included in the SDG.
the “forgotten pollutant”
Research is increasingly suggesting that too much noise is bad for our health; excessive exposure to environmental noise can disrupt sleep cycles, impair cognitive development in children and even cause cardiovascular disorders.
Too much noise at home, school or in the workplace is an environmental stressor with potential negative impacts on human mental and physical wellbeing; although it may not be formally acknowledged in any of the UN’s SDGs, or the 169 targets in the framework, noise is an often overlooked aspect of our everyday wellbeing.
improving health with acoustics
The SDGs identify multiple ways to combat air pollution, from tackling carbon emissions to encouraging design and infrastructure that supports walkable cities.
For excessive noise, there are also various simple steps that can reduce unwanted sound, mitigate its harmful effects and create spaces that are productive and a pleasure to be in. Promoting wellbeing should be high on the to-do list for architects, specifiers and developers, whether it’s for a school, sports centre or office space.
Acoustic products that reduce unwanted sound can help design out harmful noise. Oscar Acoustics’ SonaSpray is an acoustic spray coating for any surface that enables the surface to absorbs sound energy, rather than reflecting it, therefore reducing overall noise levels. SonaSpray is able to minimise noise in offices, schools, hospitals, retail and commercial spaces without impacting the interior design of a space.
Acoustic products like SonaSpray can also contribute to sustainable design and health certification systems which, although not in the SDGs, are an increasingly important part of specification plans.
Choosing SonaSpray to treat acoustics and control noise reverberation can contribute to BREEAM, SKA and many other environmental certifications.
specifying for sound quality
With more and more people working in open-plan offices, inhabiting densely-populated cities and facing the potential harms of excessive noise, the importance of quality acoustic products to design out unwanted sound cannot be underestimated. Eliminating the “forgotten pollutant”, noise, should be at the heart of any strategy for achieving the UN’s SDG 3.
To find out more about SonaSpray, or explore Oscar Acoustics’ full range of acoustic products for every kind of space, visit the product pages or contact us directly.