The Municipality of Estarreja will host, on 7 November at the Cine-Teatro de Estarreja, the conference “Environmental Noise: the Forgotten Pollutant”. The event aims to provide a space for reflection and exchange on the impacts of environmental noise on nature, on human health and quality of life, as well as on the sustainability of cities.

CESAM will be represented by Myriam Lopes, CESAM researcher and professor at the Department of Environment and Planning, who will moderate the first panel of the conference, dedicated to the theme “Noise Management in Portugal.”

The conference seeks to raise awareness of the importance of noise as a factor of environmental pollution and disturbance to natural and social ecosystems. Although often overlooked in environmental policies, noise is now recognised as one of the main causes of environmental degradation and stress, with severe impacts on human well-being and biodiversity.

The programme includes two discussion panels. The first, “Noise Management in Portugal”, will address practical cases and local and national policies, featuring contributions from representatives of the Portuguese Environment Agency, the University of Minho and the environmental association ZERO. The second panel, “Noise and Individual, Public and Environmental Health”, will explore the effects of noise in urban contexts, on mental health, sleep, cardiovascular health, school performance and the natural environment, with input from specialists in various fields of medicine, public health and bioacoustics.