Culture
This Podcast Examines How Sound Is Changing The Environment
The sound of the natural world is changing.
The world is changing at an accelerating pace. From culture to technology, the quickening pace of change is having a profound effect not just on us, but on our natural—and even our urban—environments. But while this change is usually registered visually, some of the most dramatic developments are taking place acoustically. The shift in transport routes, building sites, energy sources and urbanization are literally changing how the world sounds and what we hear when we listen to it.
These soundscapes are playing an increasingly essential role in understanding our relationship to the natural world. Acoustic environments provide key indicators of our change over time and space and demonstrate how the wellbeing of the Earth is changing, both naturally and through human impact. Sound, in turns out, can tell us much more about ourselves, our history and our possible futures than music can.
The BBC has dedicated an entire podcast to this fascinating subject. You can hear the “Soundscape Ecology” edition of Brainwaves here in its entirety. Below, hear some insanely beautiful 10-hour recordings of nature that the BBC also recorded as part of Planet Earth II.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube’s privacy policy.
Learn more
Read more: Your mobile phone has just become a high-quality portable studio
