Light Pollution

The word “pollution” is plastered across articles and websites everywhere in which the focus of the text concerns environmental issues. It isn’t hard to find when doing research about negative human impact on our planet. To find the word “light” placed before this recognizable term is a bit more rare. The obscurity does not do the issue justice, however, as this kind of pollution is no light topic (pun intended).

When you hear the words “light pollution”, you may immediately assume that the issue is identical to ordinary pollution, except to a more moderate extent. However, in this case, the “light” refers not to the degree of pollution, but to the excess of artificial light that humans produce in our cities. Such excess mainly comes from street lamps, but light pollution can also have to do overlit homes, factories, roadways, and human built structures in general.

This type of pollution is a major problem, not just for nocturnal animals who rely on the night sky for navigation, but for us humans as well. Plants and animals alike have both adapted to millions of years of steady day and night cycles to govern reproduction, sleep, migration, protection from predation, and even hormone production. Disrupting such an integral part of life on Earth can have massive consequences for all of its inhabitants, ranging from annoying to deadly.

To us diurnal creatures, it may seem useful to have the world be bright 24 hours a day. However, this brightness forces nocturnal organisms to tolerate their environment undergoing a drastic shift. Some prey can no longer use darkness as cover from predators, making them easy to spot and hunt. Some species of frogs and toads rely on a dark night to signal the start of their mating rituals, yet another practice disrupted by the blaring lights of human society. Night migrating birds are known to be distracted from their original routes by tall, bright buildings. All of these are unfair ways that our need to illuminate our night lives have ruined those of nocturnal creatures who rely on the darkness.

Not only does this phenomenon affect creatures who thrive in darkness, but also we who live in the light. Songbirds have been reported to sing at unnatural times due to artificial light convincing them of the wrong time of day. Long days and shorter nights can also cause a shift in mating season for such birds, pushing it earlier and earlier which in turn shifts the time at which birds leave the nest. This precisely evolved season, which is perfect for fledging birds, can occur far too early, potentially having disastrous consequences for them. Their preemptive flight can cause early migration, leading to the birds migrating in suboptimal conditions.

Another famous case of major damage caused by light pollution is that of sea turtles. They rely on the night sky to navigate their way to the sea when they hatch. Our bright cities act as unnatural beacons for them, however, leading them in the opposite direction, ultimately to their deaths. This is a major problem for the species as millions of hatchlings die each year for this reason.

We ourselves are also affected by our own artificial light production. Not only does light pollution make an astronomer’s job immensely more difficult, but it also affects sleep cycles in humans. Studies also show a correlation between excess artificial light and breast cancer in women as well. These are only the biological determinants, not to mention the cost of maintaining so much light in use during the night. The US alone spends $1.7 billion on outdoor nighttime lights. These lights also cause massive CO2 emissions with the US releasing 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide waste due to lights annually.

All of this chaos caused by excess artificial light is all due to our selfish need to constantly live in brightness and a terrible lighting design. It is one of the most massive issues facing our planet and simultaneously one with the simplest solution. All we need to do in order to reduce this problem is install lighting for our cities that does not produce too much excess light that then interferes with the darkness of the entire night sky. By reducing the amount of light our cities emit, we could also make a massive change in the lives of many animals who depend on the night to survive.

Humanity has always feared a world plagued by eternal darkness, as evidenced by scenes similar to this classically appearing in apocalyptic prophecies and fantasies in literature and religion. We choose forget, however, those who cannot live in constant light. Is it fair to force our apocalypse on to them?

Sources: Light Pollution, Light pollution—what is it and why is it important to know?, Light Pollution Effects on Wildlife and Ecosystems, Disappearing Darkness

Image Credit: azcentral, Gruenewiese86

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