Energy pollution refers to the release of excess or unwanted energy into the environment in forms that degrade environmental quality and disturb ecological and human systems. Unlike pollution by material substances, energy pollution involves energy flows such as waste heat, anthropogenic noise, artificial light, vib…
Energy pollution refers to the release of excess or unwanted energy into the environment in forms that degrade environmental quality and disturb ecological and human systems. Unlike pollution by material substances, energy pollution involves energy flows such as waste heat, anthropogenic noise, artificial light, vibration, and electromagnetic radiation. Thermal pollution occurs when heated effluent or rejected process heat raises the temperature of water bodies or air, lowering dissolved oxygen and stressing aquatic organisms. Noise pollution disrupts wildlife communication, navigation, and behavior and affects human health through stress and sleep disturbance. Light pollution alters circadian rhythms, interferes with nocturnal species, and obscures the night sky, while electromagnetic emissions and stray radiation raise additional exposure concerns. Much energy pollution originates from inefficiencies in combustion, power generation, transport, and industrial processes, so it is closely linked to broader questions of Energy Conservation and sustainability. Mitigation strategies include improving thermodynamic efficiency, recovering and reusing waste heat, shielding and directing light, controlling noise at the source, and shifting toward cleaner and better-managed energy systems. Reducing energy pollution complements efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions and supports the design of sustainable urban and industrial environments.
6 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 6 articles above have been cited 9 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Energy Pollution, linking to each citing work.