The Effects of Light Pollution
Many people are not aware of the negative consequences of the strongly increasing light pollution, both for animals and humans. Presumably, not many people have even thought about this topic, which is why I would like to draw attention to it with the following explanations.
Light pollution occurs when strong, unnatural light changes the environment. Light enters the various layers of air in the atmosphere. Dust, water and layers of the atmosphere then reflect the light and disperse it over a wide area. This process brightens the air as soon as the light passes through it.
The cause of light pollution lies solely in human activities. Far from being harmless, light pollution causes damage to humans, animals and the environment.
LED lamps accelerate the spread of light pollution. Many years ago, LED lamps were sold as an environmentally friendly alternative to incandescent lamps. Nobody thought that this artificial light would increase light pollution. Experts have confirmed light pollution affects body functions of humans and animals negatively.
On the one hand, LED lamps were intended to save energy, which has been partially successful. However, though LED lights are more durable and energy-saving, the fact that they are also brighter, has been neglected. The use of LEDs is advertised as a way of saving energy, but light pollution is increasing worldwide as a result.
For humans, the increase in light pollution poses the risk in of impairing sleep quality and damages to health. Light pollution also has significant negative consequences for wildlife. Artificial light can harm birds and nocturnal insects. Street lights act as a real magnet for insects. They either collide heavily with the lanterns and injure themselves or get caught in the lantern and die. Biodiversity decreases. There is a shift in food density, particularly for birds which feed on insects within the environment.
Just like insects, migratory birds also suffer from light pollution as they use the starry sky as a guide to find the right path. Unfortunately, however, the stars have not been clearly visible for a long time. Light pollution prevents birds from taking the right path. Bats are equally affected. Due to the numerous artificial lights, they leave their roosts much later and return earlier in the morning. The time they spend looking for food is therefore much shorter. This is tragic for the animals, as they find the most insects in the evening. This has a negative impact on the growth and development of the young bats.
The oil platforms erected on the seas confuse migratory birds, as does the lack of a starry sky. They distract the animals. At night, the birds circle the platforms and unfortunately no longer reach the coast. The flight can end fatally for the animals.
Light pollution is also very harmful for fish and turtles. The animals lose their orientation if the ocean or lakes are not dark at night.
When sea turtles hatch and crawl out of their eggs, they immediately head for the sea. The lights from hotel complexes and beach promenades distract them from their clear path. This makes them easy prey for birds of prey, which can also leads to a reduction of species numbers. The predator-prey ratio is shifting and entire animal communities are gradually disappearing. Yet every animal is of central importance to ecosystems. Shoals of fish are much less protected due to the lack of darkness. Like sea turtles, their very existence is under threat if the problem of overfishing is also taken into account.
What can we do about light pollution?
Measures against the increase in light pollution include the use of motion detectors, dimmers, energy-saving lamps, solar lights and timers. This ensures that light is only used when needed and only in the necessary quantity. According to experts, the choice of light colour acts as an ideal method against the increasing light smog: yellow-orange. This colour combination counteracts light pollution. The blue component should be kept as low as possible, as this effectively counteracts scattering into the atmosphere. Continuous outdoor lighting should be avoided. Outdoor lighting should be installed as low as possible to attract fewer birds and insects. Turning off cell phones at night also helps to reduce light pollution.
We are still in the early stages of taking measures against light pollution. This is due to a lack of information. Education about the consequences of light pollution would almost certainly also have a positive effect on both animals and humans.
Guest blog by Eva Stürmer
Sources:
https://astronomiefans.de/lichtverschmutzung-ein-problem-das-jeden-betrifft/
https://www.smarticular.net/lichtverschmutzung-vermeiden/
http://www.lichtverschmutzung.de/seiten/meer.php
https://umweltmission.de/wissen/lichtverschmutzung/
https://www.geo.de/natur/oekologie/357-rtkl-lichtverschmutzung-led-licht-zerstoert-die-nacht