Light pollution

I remember reading an article in National Geographic a few months ago about light pollution, and was shocked to realise how damaging the light we’re pumping into our environment is to our ecosystem and atmosphere. When I go to the countryside I am always amazed at how many stars I can see, recently while in Pitlochry for the weekend I stood and stared up at the depth and the beauty of the sky and the infinite number of stars shining out of the darkness.

Being a city girl I am quick to forget how vast our sky is when it’s not obscured with artificial light.

Above are two pictures taken from Earth, they should look the same however the one at the top is from an urban area and the other is from a rural area, they show just how damaging light can be to our skies.

So what is light pollution? It’s the wasted light from artificial light sources like street lights, sport stadiums and shops and offices that leaks upwards and obscures the night sky. Light pollution, like other types of pollution is having a huge impact on our natural environment, and as our urban areas continue to develop and grow so does the problem of light pollution. It is causing great problems for both humans and animals, including anxiety, rise of blood pressure, headaches, fatigue, stress and even (according to Wikipedia) loss of sexual function! It’s a danger for sailors as the glare from coastlines can limit the visibility of navigation lights indicating rocks and deep water channels. For animals such as migratory bird’s problems such as flying off course or crashing into buildings, for sea turtles laying their eggs in areas which put them at risk of predators as well as misleading hatchlings into danger. Increased lighting also makes animals an easier target for predators.

Not to mention all that wasted energy. It is reported that two power stations worth of energy are being thrown into the sky every year in the UK alone, light pollution is a huge threat to sustainability yet I doubt many people realize it yet.

Dark is seen as bad, typically symbolizing evil, crime, mystery and depression. Light is seen as good, symbolizing everything that is well and right. People are afraid of darkness, the common perception is that you’re safer in the light, reducing lighting would increase crime?

However, in residential areas not having all night street lighting would surely deter youths from hanging around in the streets after dark which could lead to less graffiti. Perhaps neighbours would be more likely to see and report a suspicious light in a building to the police than if the street was always lit. Are security lights really protecting us from the risk of crime or just luring us into a false sense of security from advertisers and companies scaremongering us?

I wouldn’t like to walk alone along a dark street as I would feel vulnerable or drive along an unlit road as I would feel unsafe. I am not proposing we get rid of street lights; however research shows that in some situations street lighting can cause dangerous and hazardous driving conditions. Especially to the elderly as the glare from the light produces loss of contrast which obscures night vision.

Things are already being done to tackle the problem; the above photo shows the M5 motorway’s lighting being upgraded. You can clearly see the difference from the old lights as the glow is clearly seen on the clouds above compared to the right lane where the new lights have already been installed. The new lights are effective because they only direct light at the ground apposed to the old ones which let light escape sideways and upwards. By taking such a simple step in redesigning the shape of the “head” of the light dramatic results can be achieved. Other things such as fitting timers on lights and making sure large organisations understand the consequences of leaving lighting on unnecessarily and buildings like sport stadiums are only lit when in use.

In this garage sales increased by 40% when the old lights which gave off a glare were replaced with more efficient ones, the new ones are not only better to the environment but customers and sales too. Proving companies can benefit financially from upgrading their lighting.

The night sky is far too important to have it obscured by light; we need it as much as we need the sea and the earth. We have inherited its beauty since time began, but what will we leave for the generations to come? Will future urban dwellers be denied the stars; could we forget about them together? This is a problem that I believe can be easily rectified, as a world we are struggling to find solutions to problems such as depleting energy sources, light pollution is a situation that has many solutions already, we just need to act.

Photo credit: www.darkskies4ni.co.uk