“Members of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) believe that the nighttime environment is a resource that must be preserved and protected like any other natural resource. Excessive light, they say, has adverse effects on both the environment and human health. It wastes energy and causes water and air pollution due to the generation of electricity. Using statistics from the Department of Energy, IDA estimates that the United States loses $10.4 billion a year on wasteful lighting. It also harms nocturnal wildlife and ecosystems that rely on the 24-hour cycle to regulate themselves.
Migrating birds can be disoriented by artificial lighting, causing them to crash into buildings. Depending on the weather, tens of thousands of birds might fly over a city in one night. In one night, a hundred birds might be killed on a single building. Chicago was the first U.S. city to initiate a “Lights Out” program in 2002 in an effort to reduce the mortality rate. It continues to encourage building owners and residents to dim their lighting and draw their blinds after 11 pm during the spring and fall seasons.
Birds aside, human safety is a major concern. If we turn out the lights, won’t criminals take advantage of the cover of darkness? Few studies have been conducted on the effect of night-lights and safety, but the results have proved inconclusive with little evidence to support the idea that increased lighting leads to decreased crime. The National Institute of Justice released a report to the U.S. Congress in 1997 called “Preventing Crime: What Works, What Doesn’t, What’s Promising.” In the sections titled Conclusions for Open Urban Places, it states that the effectiveness of lighting is unknown.”
There will always be a need for lighting at night. That’s indisputable. What’s disputable is how we choose to light our night sky. Folks, without shielded lighting fixtures, light escapes into the sky. That means, the more unshielded lights we have, the more polluted the sky will be. For many, it’s just a fact of life: the city offers many attractions, day and night, whereas, the countryside offers a more pastoral, quiet landscape-free from the hustle and bustle. But this fact is based on a dynamic that shouldn’t exist. In fact, people from all over the world, regardless of location, could enjoy pristine skies. Imagine seeing the Milky Way Galaxy from London, Tokyo, Seoul, Munich, New York, Los Angeles, et al. It’s possible if governments and its people choose to shield their light fixtures. Unlike most environmental problems, light pollution is 100% reversible-we could have darker skies worldwide within days. So why hasn’t this happen? Perhaps, lack of evidence, financial cuts or ignorance? Regardless of the excuse, shielded lighting eliminates light pollution. Period.
Let there be night!