Protect the Night

People light up the night almost without thinking, as we have for millennia. At the minimal level, we do this instinctively for our survival and protection. But the practice has grown to destructive extremes in modern societies. With a lack of understanding and appreciation for the night sky, most have failed to consider the costs and consequences of turning darkness into light. Instead, particularly in urban areas, we have come to expect and admire bright lights at night. What goes unseen is the extent that nighttime lighting wastes vast amounts of money and energy (typically in the form of electricity generated from burning fossil fuels), damages ecosystems, and detrimentally affects our own health (1)(5)(6)(7).

There are estimates that lighting accounts for 15 percent of global electricity consumption and five percent of greenhouse gas emissions. It is a huge waste that comes with significant pollution and economic costs (2)(3)(4)(5).

The good news is that awareness about light pollution is growing, along with effective solutions and success stories. Even better, because our connections to the night sky are deep and diverse, so too are the areas of opportunity, accommodating almost any interest and level of effort or ability. From simply sharing useful information on social media or changing a light bulb, to participating in a photography contest, astronomy club or similar community events, citizen science data collection, educational activities, or advocacy for long term improvements to lighting infrastructure, chances are that you can readily make a valuable contribution – at any age level.

You can join an existing effort in your area, dive deep to launch a new endeavor, or anything in between! Audubon’s Lights Out program, which focuses on protecting migratory birds as they travel between summer and winter habitats, can elevate interest and serve as a jump start to broader efforts. Contributors to The World At Night advance an international effort to present stunning nightscape images that bridge art, science, and culture. Canada’s first Urban Night Sky Place, parc du Mont-Bellevue, was recently certified, culminating several years of effort by multiple partners to combat light pollution. In addition to recognizing dark sky places, the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) engages and recognizes individual advocates and offers a plethora of free material to get you started. Events such as IDA Tokyo’s recent “Light Pollution Symposium 2022” are held regularly around the globe. There are many resources available to inspire and enable, regardless of your interest and abilities or where you live.

Consider the following actions to do your part.

Save energy and money:

• First, consider and analyze your nighttime use of energy, especially in outdoor lighting.
• Turn off lights when not in use or use automatic sensors.
• Use efficient LED bulbs and lighting fixtures with shields that only brighten areas where needed.

Contribute your time to building awareness and community support:

• A great place to get started is to join up with Globe at Night (https://www.globeatnight.org/). You can help measure night-sky brightness and contribute your data to build knowledge and inform action.
• Contribute to an existing event or coordinate a new stargazing, lights-out, or similar activity to inform and engage.
• If you are an educator, incorporate light pollution into your programming or curriculum(s).

Advocate for broader change in your community and beyond:

• Research and then urge your community to adopt or improve a lighting ordinance, especially for street lighting.
• Reach out to local elected official(s) or building manager(s) to build awareness and stimulate change.Audubon’s Lights Out program (https://www.audubon.org/lights-out-program) provides sample letters and other resources:
• Urge your employer or school to take a Lights Out Pledge (https://sustainability.wustl.edu/lights-out-pledge-protects-migrating-birds/) or otherwise commit to evaluating and improving outdoor lighting.

 

Some Tips:

• Follow the International Dark-Sky Association’s Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting, https://www.darksky.org/our-work/lighting/lighting-for-citizens/residentialbusiness-lighting/.
  

  Photo by Egor Kamelev, via Pexels.com

• In areas where safety is a concern, it is good to note that 24/7 lighting has been found to not have a crime deterrent impact (https://www.darksky.org/light-pollution/lighting-crime-and-safety/).
• Do we really need all that lighting around our gorgeous landscapes? Think instead about less lighting and design a night landscape.

Enjoy the darkness of night. While humans cannot see well in the dark, many creatures depend on it. If you can escape to a quiet natural area after dark, consider yourself lucky and take advantage of it! Soak in the sounds and sky and observe the nightlife.

 

References

1. Chepesiuk R. (2009). https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.117-a20‘m Missing the dark: health effects of light pollution. Environmental health perspectives, 117(1), A20–A27.
2. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/outdoor-light-pollution/, Glare-Raising: How Much Energy Does Excessive Nighttime Lighting Waste? Scientific American.
3. https://nitmmedia.com/2020/11/02/light-pollution-the-overlooked-issue-destroying-planet-earth, Light Pollution: The Overlooked Issue Destroying Planet Earth.
4. https://www.energy.gov/articles/rise-and-shine-lighting-world-10-billion-led-bulbs, Rise and Shine: Lighting the World with 10 Billion LED Bulbs. Department of Energy.
5. https://cescos.fau.edu/observatory/lightpol-econ.html, Light Pollution Hurts Our Economy and Our Resources.
6. https://cires.colorado.edu/news/bright-city-lights-affect-air-pollution, Bright City Lights Affect Air Pollution – CIRES.
7. https://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/294na7_en.pdf‘, Street lighting affects insect biodiversity.

Additional Resources

• Educational resources are available at the National Geographic Resource Library: Light Pollution https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/light-pollution/ and the International Dark-Sky Association: https://www.darksky.org/our-work/grassroots-advocacy/resources/educators/
• The Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) Research Literature Database (https://www.zotero.org/groups/2913367/alan_db/library) provides references to scientific literature on all aspects of artificial light at night research.
• Part-night lighting halves vehicle crime, but may displace it to nearby lit streets. (2022) https://phys.org/news/2022-03-part-night-halves-vehicle-crime-displace.html
• Pyrenees La Nuit http://pirineoslanuit.org/,
• Les Jours de la Nuit https://www.lesjoursdelanuit.re/notre-demarche/
• Light Pollution & Climate Change article on the European Commission website (https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/project-result-content/0eb54a4b-9b44-47a1-9acb-c56685ce80c5/Light%20Pollution%20%26%20Climate%20Change%20(Turkey).pdf)
• Lights Out Heartland Initiative (https://lightsoutheartland.org/) (U.S.A.).