The next time you arewalking down a beautifully lit street, try this exercise. Look up at the nightsky. Do you see an absolutely clear sky with an abundance of stars? Chances arethat the sky looks rather empty and you are unable to see anything spectacular.
Apart from being a cloudy day and increased air pollution, excessive artificial light is one of the reasons that the night sky is no longer as clear and beautiful as it should be.
The culprit here is light pollution.Sounds weird that light can actually pollute the environment? Sad but true. Too much artificial lighting can be a bad thing for you. Just as bad air and water pollute the environment, using excessive artificial light can affect us too.
Wait! All’s not lost. Each of us can do something about it. If we are a little more careful, we can reduce light pollution.
So why is it bad?
Well for starters, too much lighting can interfere with astronomical observations. So, if love star gazing, you will find it difficult to spot your favorite constellations.
Scientists have studied the effects of excessive lighting and have found that it can have negative effects on your health.
How can we forget our delicate ecosystem? This is especially crucial in the case of nocturnal animals. They could get confused navigating under artificial lights.
And the most obvious one of course is, wasting energy.
Am I supposed to live in darkness?
No, just use lighting prudently.
Make sure to turn off the lights when not in use.
Use energy efficient lighting.
Something cool!
Recognizing the need to do something to check light pollution, the International Dark Sky Association was formed in1988.
What can I do now?
Join the fight against light pollution and observe Earth Hour on March 28, 2009.
