Lights Out!
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| Lights illuminating a hotel burned day and night, needlessly wasting energy while increasing power-plant emissions that contribute to global climate change. The 24-hour lighting of nearby plants was probably not beneficial for them. |
Lights Out!
ALL TEXT AND PHOTOS © Marlene A. Condon
This year my first fireflies of
the season appeared in my yard on May 20. There were only two to be seen very
briefly, but I’m hoping there will be many more. Unfortunately, however, the numbers of
these insects have dwindled in many places around the world, in large part to
human activities.
Habitat loss and pesticide
usage take a toll, but one factor people tend to overlook is the effect of
artificial lighting on these particularly vulnerable creatures. Their courtship
revolves around the flashes of light sent by both the male and female to
communicate their interest in mating. But, in the glow of light pollution, it
can be nearly impossible for them to detect the bioluminescence they emit to
find each other.
Look around and you’ll notice
how many people leave lights on outside houses, barns, and commercial buildings
all night long, sometimes 24/7. These lights not only negatively impact fireflies,
but also moths and numerous other kinds of insects that depend upon darkness to
procreate. Is it any wonder, then, that insects are disappearing?
I imagine most folks simply
don’t give these lights much thought, but they should. According to the
International Dark Sky Association, about 35% of light is wasted, which equates
to about 3 billion dollars spent per year on exceedingly harmful sky glow.
Additionally, about 15 million tons of carbon dioxide—a driver of climate
change—are emitted each year in order to power outdoor lighting, which is often
nonessential.
Because of city lighting, birds migrating at night are killed in huge numbers every fall and spring. Lit windows invite birds to crash into them. These avian creatures don't have any conception of the glass blocking their way through the lighted rooms they believe they can fly through.
Studies show that birds cluster around brightly lit structures, just as nighttime insects do when they continuously fly around a carport or porch light. This travel delay necessitates finding food when daylight arrives, but that can be difficult in an area of concrete and asphalt. Is it any wonder many migratory bird populations have severely declined over the past five decades?
The World Atlas of Artificial
Night Sky Brightness is written by scientists and measures what is called
artificial sky glow—the reflected light scattered in the atmosphere from
electric lighting around the world. Illustrative of the amount of sky
glow is the estimation that the Milky Way is no longer
visible to one-third of the people on Earth, especially in the most heavily
industrialized regions. Sixty percent of Europeans and eighty percent of North
Americans are no longer able to enjoy this natural wonder.
This light pollution affects
human health as well. According to Richard G. Stevens, an epidemiologist at the
School of Medicine (University of Connecticut), “[L]ight at night, in all its
forms, can most disrupt our normal circadian rhythms...This circadian
physiology has developed over billions of years. Humans have been living with
electricity only since the late 19th century, and with widespread access in
industrialized countries only since the 20th century. While that sounds like a
long time, it’s a tiny drop in the evolutionary bucket. We are only beginning to
understand the health consequences artificial light has on our circadian
physiology.”
He goes on to write that, “Humans,
like most other life forms on the planet, have...a built-in cycle for sleep and
wake patterns, hunger, activity, hormone production, body temperature and a
vast array of other physiological processes. The cycle lasts roughly 24 hours,
and light, especially sunlight, and darkness are important signals to keep it
on track.”
Scientists suspect that some
serious health problems could be the result of circadian disruption, for which
“the most potent environmental exposure that can cause [it] is ill-timed
electric lighting, particularly at night.”
It’s vitally important for
people to recognize how harmful night lighting is to the many forms of life,
including humans, on Earth. It’s high time for lights out!
NATURE ADVICE:
You can do
humans and their fellow creatures a great service by letting people know they
should minimize the amount of light being wasted.
When you notice
unwarranted lighting (for example, light not being utilized by anyone in the
wee hours of the morning) in parks and at businesses, let the government
entities and business owners know about the harmful effects of leaving lights
burning unnecessarily.
If you or your
neighbors feel the need for nighttime outdoor lighting, consider motion
detectors instead of continuously lit floodlights.
Finally, always use the
dimmest lighting you can, but better yet, consider whether lighting is essential
or whether you could do without it.
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