Bringing Back the Night: The Fight Against Light Pollution by Paul Bogard: Yale Environ... - 0 views
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France
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within an hour of workers leaving
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cannot be turned on before sunset
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two years
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designed to eventually cut carbon dioxide emissions by 250,000 tons per year, save the equivalent of the annual energy consumption of 750,000 households, and slash the country’s overall energy bill by 200 million Euros ($266 million).
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“reduce the print of artificial lighting on the nocturnal environment
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lighting in many parts of the world is endangering our health and the health of the ecosystems on which we The good news is that light pollution is readily within our grasp to control.rely
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ecological light pollution, warning that disrupting these natural patterns of light and dark, and thus the structures and functions of ecosystems, is having profound impacts
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China, India, Brazil, and numerous other countries are becoming increasingly affluent and urbanized
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glowing white
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Connecticut and California — have enacted regulations to reduce light pollution, but most nations and cities still do little to dial down the excessive use of light
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LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, can improve our ability to reduce and better regulate lighting
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“blue-rich
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disruptive to circadian rhythms.
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reducing
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or Loss of Night
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30 percent of vertebrates and more than 60 percent of invertebrates are nocturnal
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bright lights
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All are potentially impacted by our burgeoning use of artificial light
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We have levels of light hundreds and thousands of time higher than the natural level during the night
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computer-generated maps that dramatically depict the extent of light pollution across the globe
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Every flip of a light switch contributes to altering ancient patterns of mating, migration, feeding, and pollination, with no time for species to adapt
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2012 study of leatherback turtles
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“artificial lighting of the nesting beaches is the biggest threat to survival of hatchlings and a major factor in declining leatherback turtle populations.”
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eflected light of the stars and moon from the beach to the ocean
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follow the light of hotels and streetlights
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drawn off-course by artificial light
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between 100 million and 1 billion, we don’t really know — killed each year by collision with human-made structures
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our outdoor lights are irresistible flames, killing countless moths and other insects, with ripple effects throughout the food chain
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natural pest control
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for bats
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artificial light disrupts patterns of travel and feeding since many bat species avoid illuminated areas.
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that street lighting influences the migratory pattern of Atlantic salmon,
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studies on light pollution, ranging from research into the socio-political challenges of cutting light pollution in the Berlin metropolitan area to the effects of light pollution on nocturnal mammals
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composition of entire communities of insects and other invertebrates.
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humans
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nocturnal light disrupts our sleep, confuses our circadian rhythms
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hormone melatonin
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most disruptive to our body’s
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blue wavelength light tells our brain that night is over,
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consequences of excessive exposure to light at night include an increased risk for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease
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American Medical Association
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“risks and benefits of occupational and environmental exposure to light-at-night
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“new lighting technologies at home and at work that minimize circadian disruption
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are concerned about the impact of some new lighting
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make LEDs a
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these lights may actually make things significantly worse
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often brighter than the old lights they are replacing
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LEDs could “exacerbate known and possible unknown effects of light pollution on human health (and the) environment” by more than five times.
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preventing areas
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recommends limits for the amount of light in five different zones of lighting intensity
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banning unshielded lighting in all zones.
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researchers have identified numerous practical steps to reduce light pollution:
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spectral composition of lighting (
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limiting the duration of lighting
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altering the intensity
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the Model Lighting Ordinance
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simple act of shielding our lights — installing or retrofitting lamp fixtures that direct light downward to its intended target — represents our best chance to control light pollution
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lines of shielded lighting fixtures
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light equals safety, and darkness danger
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with little compelling evidence to support common assumptions.
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The objection
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For example, ever-brighter lights can actually diminish security by casting glare that impedes our vision and creates shadows where criminals can hide.
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light effectively than abundantly
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As evidence mounts that excessive use of light is harming wildlife and adversely affecting human health, new initiatives in France and elsewhere are seeking to turn down the lights that flood an ever-growing part of the planet -
mounts that excessive use of light is harming wildlife and adversely affecting human health, new initiatives in France and elsewhere are seeking to turn down the lights that flood an ever-growing part of the planet.
