Light pollution is the human-made alteration of outdoor light levels from those occurring naturally.
When we over-light, fail to use timers and sensors, or use the wrong colour of light, we can negatively affect many parts of our world, including migratory birds, pollinators, sea turtles, and mammals, including humans.
With much of the Earth’s population living under light-polluted skies, over lighting is an international concern. If you live in an urban or suburban area all you have to do to see this type of pollution is go outside at night and look up at the sky. How many stars can you see?
A growing body of evidence links the brightening night sky directly to measurable negative impacts on: wildlife and ecosystems; human health;
energy and climate change; crime and safety; and night sky heritage
Sleep and Light Pollution
For billions of years, all life has relied on Earth’s predictable rhythm of day and night. It’s encoded in the DNA of all plants and animals. Humans have radically disrupted this cycle by lighting up the night, disrupting our own sleep patterns, causing a variety of health issues.
Wildlife and Eco-Systems
Plants and animals depend on Earth’s daily cycle of light and dark rhythm to govern life-sustaining behaviors such as reproduction, nourishment, sleep and protection from predators. Scientific evidence suggests that artificial light at night has negative and deadly effects on many creatures including amphibians, birds, mammals, insects and plants.
More details can be found at: https://darksky.uk
The International Dark-Sky Association is the recognized authority on light pollution and works to combat light pollution in the UK and worldwide.
The guide was created using information from Dark Sky UK.