Real Madrid could face trial for alleged environmental offences after a Spanish judge ruled there was sufficient evidence that loud concerts held at the club's Bernabeu stadium, which has been dubbed the torture-drome by local residents, could have broken the law. The Residents' Association for those Affected by the Bernabeu (AVPB) began legal action against the football club and the city council in 2024, saying a series of punishingly loud concerts held that spring and summer had made their lives a misery.
Last month, the government backed the airport's proposals for a third runway, which could increase the annual number of flights from 480,000 to 756,000. In its letter to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, the cross-party group with the exception of Reform UK Assembly Member Keith Prince said the impact of aircraft noise from London's multiple airports was "already too great." The government said any airport expansion "must be in line with environmental targets".
I first became interested in silence over 15 years ago when an overdose of New York City noise got me wondering if and how I could find refuge in its opposite, in absolute quiet-something that was not merely a reduction in or lack of noise, but a vibrant counterpoint to the sounds which we assume define and shape our lives.
Every day. Nearly. Every. Damn. Day. Maybe twice a day. Shooting rigidly awake from blissful sleep into the literal warzone of bleating death engines. My complex is surrounded sometimes by several dudes just running their nozzles over the same already clean patch of grass. It sends my dog into a mania. It sends me into a depression. Running a commercial gas-powered leaf blower for one hour
Residents of Zurich decided Sunday to severely restrict the use of leaf blowers and leaf vacuums. More than 61% of voters supported the restrictive rules, which authorities said would limit noise and dust pollution. Gas-powered leaf blowers and leaf vacuums will be fully banned in Zurich, Switzerland's most populous city. Only electric devices will be used to blow away dirt and debris.
Noise pollution impacts our health by keeping our bodies in a constant state of fight or flight, which can lead to harmful physiological responses such as inflammation and oxidative stress.
