light pollution solutions essay

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What is light pollution?

What is light pollution what is light pollution.

Light pollution is the human-made alteration of outdoor light levels from those ocurring naturally. It has harmful effects on:

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Solutions to light pollution.

Light pollution is harming our environment, wildlife habitats, and our quality of life.

Every day needs a night

All around us, this unintended pollutant is taking a silent toll. Each year, thousands of migrating birds and shorebirds are killed because of unnecessary artificial light at night. Light pollution threatens aquatic ecosystems by increasing the risk of harmful algae blooms. It also impacts our quality of life by eradicating our access to the wonder of beautiful night skies.

Help us save the night

The good news is, the solution is as easy as screwing in a lightbulb. Light pollution is something we can all help erase, in our homes and backyards, the parks that we play in, and the cities and towns we call home.

Some of the tactics and actions you can take to help immediately are provided below. We hope you’ll join us as we tackle this major problem that gets minimal coverage.

• LEDs and compact fluorescents (CFLs) can help reduce energy use and protect the environment, but only warm-colored bulbs should be used.
• Dimmers, motion sensors, and timers can help to reduce average illumination levels and save even more energy.
• Outdoor lighting fixtures that shield the light source to minimize glare and light trespass help prevent light pollution. An illustrated guide to acceptable vs. unacceptable types of light fixtures can be found here .
• Switching to LED lighting allows for reduced illuminance without compromising visibility.
• Unnecessary indoor lighting — particularly in empty office buildings at night — should be turned off. This will help prevent leakage of interior light into the night sky.
• Outdoor lighting with strong blue content is likely to worsen sky glow because it has a significantly larger geographic reach than lighting consisting of less blue.
• Blue-rich white light sources are also known to increase glare and compromise human vision, especially in the aging eye. These lights create potential road safety problems for motorists and pedestrians alike. In natural settings, blue light at night has been shown to adversely affect wildlife behavior and reproduction. This particularly true in cities, which are often stopover points for migratory species.
• DarkSky recommends that only warm-appearing light sources be used for outdoor lighting. This includes low-pressure sodium (LPS), high-pressure sodium (HPS), and low-CCT LEDs.
• “Warm” toned or filtered LEDs (CCT 3000 K or lower; S/P ratio 1.2 or lower) should be used to minimize blue emission.

Our DarkSky Approved program certifies environmentally friendly lighting products. Its searchable database makes it easy for you to find DarkSky Approved light fixtures — fixtures that are fully shielded and have a low CCT — as well as other DarkSky Approved devices like timers and other controllers.

Take a few moments to inspect your property for inefficient, poorly installed, and unnecessary outdoor lighting. Learn more about responsible outdoor lighting .

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Light Pollution

People all over the world are living under the nighttime glow of artificial light, and it is causing big problems for humans, wildlife, and the environment. There is a global movement to reduce light pollution, and everyone can help.

Conservation, Earth Science, Astronomy

Hong Kong Light Pollution

Boats, buildings, street lights, and even fireworks contribute to the light pollution in Victoria Harbor, Hong Kong. Light pollution can be detrimental to the health of people and animals in the area.

Photograph by Jodi Cobb

Most environmental pollution on Earth comes from humans and their inventions. Take, for example, the automobile or that miraculous human-made material, plastic . Today, automobile emissions are a major source of air pollution contributing to climate change, and plastics fill our ocean, creating a significant health hazard to marine animals.

And what about the electric lightbulb, thought to be one of the greatest human inventions of all time? Electric light can be a beautiful thing, guiding us home when the sun goes down, keeping us safe and making our homes cozy and bright. However, like carbon dioxide emissions and plastic , too much of a good thing has started to negatively impact the environment. Light pollution , the excessive or inappropriate use of outdoor artificial light, is affecting human health, wildlife behavior, and our ability to observe stars and other celestial objects.

That Earthly Sky Glow

Light pollution is a global issue. This became glaringly obvious when the World Atlas of Night Sky Brightness , a computer-generated map based on thousands of satellite photos, was published in 2016. Available online for viewing, the atlas shows how and where our globe is lit up at night. Vast areas of North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia are glowing with light, while only the most remote regions on Earth (Siberia, the Sahara, and the Amazon) are in total darkness. Some of the most light-polluted countries in the world are Singapore, Qatar, and Kuwait.

Sky glow is the brightening of the night sky, mostly over urban areas, due to the electric lights of cars, streetlamps, offices, factories, outdoor advertising, and buildings, turning night into day for people who work and play long after sunset.

People living in cities with high levels of sky glow have a hard time seeing more than a handful of stars at night. Astronomers are particularly concerned with sky glow pollution as it reduces their ability to view celestial objects.

More than 80 percent of the world’s population, and 99 percent of Americans and Europeans, live under sky glow. It sounds pretty, but sky glow caused by anthropogenic activities is one of the most pervasive forms of light pollution .

Is it Time to Get Up?

Artificial light can wreak havoc on natural body rhythms in both humans and animals. Nocturnal light interrupts sleep and confuses the circadian rhythm—the internal, twenty-four-hour clock that guides day and night activities and affects physiological processes in nearly all living organisms. One of these processes is the production of the hormone melatonin , which is released when it is dark and is inhibited when there is light present. An increased amount of light at night lowers melatonin production, which results in sleep deprivation, fatigue, headaches, stress, anxiety, and other health problems. Recent studies also show a connection between reduced melatonin levels and cancer. In fact, new scientific discoveries about the health effects of artificial light have convinced the American Medical Association (AMA) to support efforts to control light pollution and conduct research on the potential risks of exposure to light at night. Blue light, in particular, has been shown to reduce levels of melatonin in humans. Blue light is found in cell phones and other computer devices, as well as in light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the kinds of bulbs that have become popular at home and in industrial and city lighting due to their low cost and energy efficiency.

Animals are Lost and Confused, Too

Studies show that light pollution is also impacting animal behaviors, such as migration patterns , wake-sleep habits, and habitat formation. Because of light pollution , sea turtles and birds guided by moonlight during migration get confused, lose their way, and often die. Large numbers of insects, a primary food source for birds and other animals, are drawn to artificial lights and are instantly killed upon contact with light sources. Birds are also affected by this, and many cities have adopted a “Lights Out” program to turn off building lights during bird migration.

A study of blackbirds ( Turdus merula)  in Germany found that traffic noise and artificial night lighting causes birds in the city to become active earlier than birds in natural areas—waking and singing as much as five hours sooner than their country cousins. Even animals living under the sea may be affected by underwater artificial lighting. One study looked at how marine animals responded to brightly lit panels submerged under water off the coast of Wales. Fewer filter feeding animals, such as the sea squirt and sea bristle, made their homes near the lighted panels. This could mean that the light from oil rigs, passing ships, and harbors is altering marine ecosystems .

Even in places meant to provide protected natural habitats for wildlife, light pollution is making an impact. The National Park Service (NPS) has made maintaining a dark night sky a priority. The NPS Night Skies Team has been monitoring night sky brightness in some one hundred parks, and nearly every park showed at least some light pollution.

You Shouldn’t Need Sunglasses at Night

There are three other kinds of light pollution: glare, clutter, and light trespass. Glare is excessive brightness that can cause visual discomfort (for example, when driving). Clutter is bright, confusing, and excessive groupings of light sources (for example, Times Square in New York City, New York). Light trespass is when light extends into an area where it is not wanted or needed (like a streetlight illuminating a nearby bedroom window). Most outdoor lighting is poorly positioned, sending wasted electricity up into the sky.

Bring Back the Dark Sky

There are several organizations working to reduce light pollution. One of these is the U.S.-based International Dark Sky Association (IDA), formed in 1988 to preserve the natural night sky. IDA educates the public and certifies parks and other places that have worked to reduce their light emissions. In 2017, the IDA approved the first U.S. dark sky reserve. The massive Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, which clocks in at 3,667 square kilometers (1,416 square miles), joined eleven other dark sky reserves established around the world. As of December of 2018, IDA lists thirteen dark sky reserves on their site.

Stop Wasting Energy: Things We Can All Do

More people are taking action to reduce light pollution and bring back the natural night sky. Many states have adopted legislation to control outdoor lighting, and manufacturers have designed and produced high-efficiency light sources that save energy and reduce light pollution.

Individuals are urged to use outdoor lighting only when and where it is needed, to make sure outdoor lights are properly shielded and directing light down instead of up into the sky, and to close window blinds, shades, and curtains at night to keep light inside.

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How to dim the consequences of global light pollution

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Our ancestors could look up and see the Milky Way — our galaxy — as a large band of white light stretching across the sky. Because of light pollution, that’s no longer the case. One study estimated that 60% of Europeans and 80% of Americans have never seen it at all.

Light pollution comes from artificial lights that shine upward and create skyglow, a brightening of the night sky that obscures stars and other celestial objects. This excess light is increasing by approximately 10% per year. 

The threats of artificial light — and recommendations to minimize it — are the subject of “ The World at Night ,” a 160-page report published by the Dark Sky Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, produced by UCLA ecologist Travis Longcore and nine other researchers.

The report is a one-stop reference for anyone concerned about light pollution, said Longcore, an adjunct professor at the  Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.  It details the harms of light pollution, highlights the importance of dark sky reserves, presents case studies and provides guidelines to minimize the use of artificial light.

Technological innovations and the rise of cities led to a rapid surge in artificial light. In the 25 years from 1992 to 2017,  satellite-based research  led by the University of Exeter found that global light pollution increased by at least 49%, but the number could be much higher — up to 270%.

Artificial light is changing from dim, warm tones to full-spectrum LEDs, amplifying its negative effects, Longcore said. LEDs produce more blue and green light compared to older high-pressure sodium lights. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station can see the difference from space.

All of this artificial light has serious consequences for human health. 

It disrupts internal biological clocks that evolved to a 24-hour night/day cycle, impairing sleep and the body’s ability to produce hormones that are governed by daylight. The sleep hormone melatonin, for example, is produced during daylight and released when it’s dark. This release triggers other hormones that help the body rejuvenate and cope with diseases.

Light pollution also disturbs wildlife and ecosystems. It can even be considered a form of habitat loss, as animals often avoid brightly lit areas. 

“It’s an additional stressor and can be the direct cause of mortality,” Longcore said. 

Animal behaviors, life stages and predator/prey interactions are adapted to the 24-hour day/night cycle and the 12-month seasonal cycle, according to the report. Too much light at the wrong time confuses them and interferes with mating, reproduction and migration, among other ecological impacts. 

Sea turtles, for example, use light as their guide, laying and burying their eggs on beaches at night. When too much artificial light is present, hatchlings, who are meant to find their way to the sea, become disoriented and move in the wrong direction. Lights also confuse insects, which gather around streetlamps and become easy prey. And birds that migrate at night frequently crash into communications towers or brightly lit windows. 

Light pollution affects plants, too, disrupting key life cycle stages governed by the presence of light. That can have cascading effects on animals that depend on them, Longcore said. 

Dark skies are also significant for cultural reasons. 

Storytelling, religious traditions and calendars have depended on the night sky throughout human history. The Maori, Indigenous people of New Zealand, rely on constellations for navigation and predict the success of the coming harvest based on Matariki, a star cluster also known as the Pleiades, that rises in mid-winter. Other cultures honor Matariki, too. In northern Java, Indonesia, it marks the start of the rice planting season. In Southern Africa, the Basotho people associate it with abundance, calling it “the female planter.”

The Declaration in Defense of the Night Sky and the Right to Starlight, adopted at the Starlight Conference held in La Palma, Spain, in 2007, considers it a human right to see an unpolluted night sky. The conference included astronomers, conservation biologists and experts in tourism and cultural preservation.

Prior to the 17th century, human civilizations burned oil or fat for light and had no streetlights, so light pollution was nonexistent. With the rise of electrification in the 1870s, outdoor light spread at an accelerating pace.

Astronomers recognized the light pollution problem in the 1970s. Skyglow was impairing research, obstructing constellations and worsening the quality of telescope observations. 

A truly dark sky is still visible in remote research stations and some outdoor locations, but even those places are threatened. In the average American suburb, only a few hundred stars out of about 2,500 expected stars can be seen.

While some light is necessary to maintain the safety and productivity of modern cities, increases in efficiency and reductions in cost have led to its misuse, Longcore said. 

Perhaps surprisingly, there is also no conclusive evidence that brightly lit streets increase nighttime safety for drivers and pedestrians. Excessive glare blocks hazards on the road, distracts drivers and reduces night vision, which lowers overall awareness. 

Light pollution may seem like a secondary issue compared to other climate change impacts, but it’s easy to reduce. Simply dimming outdoor lighting or directing it only where necessary would make a big difference, said David Welch, lead author of the report and chair of the Dark Skies Advisory Group.

Other solutions include changing the color temperature of outdoor lightning. Light in the blue part of the spectrum — the kind often emitted by LEDs — is especially harmful. It scatters the most and causes the greatest disruptions to people and animals. Warm tones such as amber-colored light are the least harmful and would aid night vision for animals, including people. Timers and motion sensors that turn off lights when they’re not needed would also help.

Over the past few years, Longcore has sent teams of UCLA students to the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve — the first sky dark reserve in the United States and the third largest in the world. (The nonprofit DarkSky certifies eligible dark sky areas to help safeguard them from artificial light.)

“Dark sky places are established to recognize that there is value to the natural condition that has now become rare,” Longcore said. Students were blown away by experiencing the Milky Way in a place that is truly dark, he added.

In addition to Longcore and Welch, the report’s authors include Robert Dick of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada; Karen Treviño of the National Park Service; UCLA alumna Catherine Rich, co-founder and executive officer of the Urban Wildlands Group; John Hearnshaw, professor emeritus at the University of Canterbury; Clive Ruggles, professor emeritus at the University of Leicester; Adam Dalton, formerly of the International Dark-Sky Association, or IDA; IDA Director of Public Policy John Barentine; and István Gyarmath of the Magnitúdó Astronomical Society. 

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Essay on Light Pollution

Students are often asked to write an essay on Light Pollution in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Light Pollution

What is light pollution.

Light pollution is the excessive or misdirected artificial light produced by humans. It happens when outdoor lights are left on at night, causing a brightening of the night sky. These lights interfere with natural darkness, and have a harmful effect on our environment.

Types of Light Pollution

There are four main types of light pollution. They are glare, light trespass, over-illumination, and sky glow. Glare is excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort. Light trespass occurs when unwanted or intrusive light enters one’s property. Over-illumination is the excessive use of light. Sky glow is the bright halo over urban areas at night.

Effects on Humans and Wildlife

Light pollution affects both humans and wildlife. For humans, it can cause problems like sleep disorders and stress. For animals, especially nocturnal ones, it can disrupt their feeding and breeding patterns. Birds can become confused during migration and sea turtles can lose their way while trying to reach the sea.

Ways to Reduce Light Pollution

We can reduce light pollution by using outdoor lights only when needed, choosing lower-intensity lights, and using lights that are fully shielded. This means the light is directed downwards, not upwards into the sky. Public awareness and government regulations can also help in reducing light pollution.

Also check:

250 Words Essay on Light Pollution

Light pollution is the brightening of the night sky caused by street lights and other man-made sources. It is a type of pollution that is often overlooked. It not only affects our ability to see stars in the sky, but also has negative effects on our environment and our health.

There are four main types of light pollution. Skyglow is the bright halo that can be seen over urban areas at night. Glare is excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort. Light trespass is unwanted or intrusive light. Lastly, clutter is bright, confusing, and excessive groupings of light sources.

Effects on Wildlife

Light pollution can have harmful effects on many creatures including birds, insects, and sea turtles. It can disrupt their feeding and breeding patterns. For example, bright lights can confuse birds that migrate at night and lead them off course.

Effects on Humans

For humans, light pollution can cause problems like sleep disorders and stress. It can also lead to reduced visibility at night and energy waste.

How to Reduce Light Pollution

In conclusion, light pollution is a serious issue that needs more attention. By understanding what it is and how it affects us, we can take steps to reduce it and protect our environment.

500 Words Essay on Light Pollution

Light pollution is the excessive or misdirected artificial light produced by human activities. It happens when outdoor lights are left on overnight or point upwards into the sky. This artificial light can be seen in the form of a bright glow over cities and towns, obscuring the stars in the night sky.

Light pollution has a significant impact on wildlife and ecosystems. Many animals, like birds and turtles, rely on natural light patterns for migration, hunting, and reproduction. When artificial light disrupts these patterns, it can confuse animals and put their survival at risk.

Impact on Human Health

Artificial light can also affect human health. It can interfere with our sleep patterns, causing problems like insomnia. The human body needs periods of darkness to produce a hormone called melatonin, which helps regulate sleep. When artificial light interferes with this process, it can lead to health issues.

Effects on Astronomy

There are several ways we can reduce light pollution. We can start by using outdoor lights only when necessary. If we need to use them, we should make sure the lights are not too bright and are directed downwards, not upwards into the sky. We can also use light fixtures that shield the light and prevent it from spreading widely. Lastly, we can use timers or motion sensors on outdoor lights to ensure they are only on when needed.

In conclusion, light pollution is a serious problem that affects both wildlife and humans. It not only disrupts natural ecosystems but also interferes with our ability to observe the night sky. By making small changes in our lighting habits, we can help reduce light pollution and protect our environment. It’s important for us to understand this issue and take steps to address it, for the sake of our health, our planet, and our future understanding of the universe.

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Global light pollution is affecting ecosystems—what can we do?

For hundreds of millions of years, the web of life on land has been dependent on, and determined by, day and night, light and dark. Photosynthesis, the process by which plants grow, depends on light and dark. And all animals depend on plants for their survival.

One of the less frequently reported impacts of human activity on the environment is the presence of artificial light. Lighting disrupts photosynthesis and the activities of insects, birds and other animals.

A recent study, Light pollution is a driver of insect declines , says habitat loss, pesticide use, invasive species and climate change have all played a role in insect declines globally, but that artificial light at night is another important—but often overlooked—cause.

The light affects insect movement, foraging, reproduction and predation, says the study which, however, suggests that insect biodiversity loss can be mitigated with better informed lighting practices.

“Artificial light at night is unique among anthropogenic habitat disturbances in that it is fairly easy to ameliorate and leaves behind no residual effects. Greater recognition of the ways in which [artificial light at night] affects insects can help conservationists reduce or eliminate one of the major drivers of insect declines,“ it says.

With artificial light increasing by around 2 per cent per year globally , light pollution has become a pertinent issue.

At the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals thirteenth meeting of the Conference of Parties  (CMS COP13 ) which took place in Gandhinagar, India from 17 to 22 February 2020, delegates considered the topic for the first time following draft resolutions submitted independently by the European Union and Australia.

Artificial light not only impacts insects. Turtles, seabirds and shorebirds, and ecosystems at large, are being affected.

Artificial light at night can disorientate adult and hatchling sea turtles, so they are unable to find the ocean. Birds are also known to become disorientated by lights, resulting in higher bird mortality due to collisions with artificial structures such as buildings. Migratory shorebirds may be exposed to increased predation where lighting makes them visible. They may also abandon preferable roosting sites to avoid lights.

"Light pollution can disrupt critical behaviour in wildlife,“ says Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Migratory Species.

"It can stall the recovery of threatened species and interfere with their ability to undertake long-distance migrations, reduce breeding success and their chances of survival. Light pollution is a growing phenomenon which needs to be considered in conservation efforts and which can be avoided or minimized through nature-friendly lighting design and management."

Managing the impact of artificial light

New proposed guidelines drafted by the Government of Australia provide a framework for assessing and managing the impact of artificial light on susceptible wildlife, including migratory species. For example, they consider wildlife-friendly lighting design and the management of light sources near protected wildlife.

The guidelines recognize the potential of conflicting requirements for wildlife conservation and human safety and the need for a balance between the two.

To prevent harm to migratory species, the guidelines propose a multi-step approach. If artificial light is visible outside, best practice light design should be applied so as not to impact nearby habitats of threatened species. An environmental impact assessment should consider negative effects before artificial light sources are installed.

Nature-based solutions  offer the best way to achieve human well-being, tackle climate change and protect our living planet. Yet nature is in crisis , as we are losing species at a rate 1,000 times greater than at any other time in recorded human history and one million species face extinction. In addition to important moments for decision makers, including the COP 15 on Biodiversity, the 2020 “super year” is a major opportunity to bring nature back from the brink. The future of humanity depends on action now.

For more information on CMS and the topic of light pollution effects on migratory species, please visit: www.cms.int or contact: [email protected]

• Biodiversity
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Further Resources

• Light pollution is a driver of insect declines
• Light pollution map
• Study suggests light pollution hurts pollinators, crop yields
• New Guidelines Proposed to Address Light Pollution
• Light pollution Guidelines for Wildlife Including Marine Turtles, Seabirds and Migratory Shorebirds

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• International Astronomical Union - Light Pollution
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Recent News

light pollution , unwanted or excessive artificial light . Like noise pollution , light pollution is a form of waste energy that can cause adverse effects and degrade environmental quality. Moreover, because light (transmitted as electromagnetic waves ) is typically generated by electricity , which itself is usually generated by the combustion of fossil fuels , it can be said that there is a connection between light pollution and air pollution (from fossil-fueled power plant emissions). Control of light pollution therefore will help to conserve fuel (and money ) and reduce air pollution as well as mitigate the more immediate problems caused by excessive light. Although light pollution may not appear to be as harmful to public health and welfare as pollution of water resources or the atmosphere, it is an environmental quality issue of no small significance.

( Read Britannica’s essay “Is Light Pollution Really Pollution?” )

The quantity of light pollution from a given area depends on the number and brightness of light sources on the ground, the fraction of light that escapes above the horizontal, the reflectivity of surfaces near the light sources (e.g., roads, pavements , walls , windows ), and the prevailing atmospheric conditions. Empirical formulas allow the calculation of skyglow as a function of population and distance from the observer. When skyglow levels are more than 10 percent above the natural background levels, significant sky degradation has begun. Even lights from a fairly small town with a population of only 3,000 people can cause significant night sky degradation for an observer as far as 10 km (6 miles) away.

Light pollution adversely affects professional and amateur astronomers, as well as casual observers of the night sky, because it severely reduces the visibility of stars and other celestial objects. The reduction in night sky visibility is a result of “ skyglow,” upward-directed light emanating from poorly designed or directed lamps and security floodlights. This wasted light is scattered and reflected by solid or liquid particles in the atmosphere and then returned to the eyes of people on the ground, obliterating their view of the night sky. The effect of skyglow from a town or city is not necessarily localized; it can be observed far from the main source.

Light pollution is a problem not only for astronomers and people who simply want to enjoy the beauty of a starry night. Glare from road lamps, commercial security lights and signs, or even from a neighbor’s bright and misdirected yard lighting can cause discomfort and distraction and adversely affect the quality of life of many people.

Light pollution has adverse impacts on birds and other animals . Many migratory birds, for example, fly by night, when light from the stars and Moon helps them navigate. These birds are disoriented by the glare of artificial light as they fly over urban and suburban areas. It has been estimated by the American Bird Conservatory that more than four million migratory birds perish each year in the United States by colliding with brightly illuminated towers and buildings. Light pollution is considered to be one of the contributing factors in the dramatic decline of certain migratory songbird populations over the past several decades.

Sea turtles are also particularly vulnerable to the effects of light pollution. Although the females of such species as loggerhead sea turtles typically return to the beach on which they were born, bright lights can deter gravid females, forcing them to seek a less familiar or less suitable alternative . Hatchlings emerging from their nests can become disoriented by artificial lighting and, instead of heading toward the ocean, head inland, where they frequently die from exhaustion, dehydration, predation by other animals, or being hit by vehicles. A considerable challenge to sea turtle conservation , light pollution is estimated to be responsible for many tens of thousands of hatchling deaths each year in the United States alone.

Experiments have demonstrated that street lighting reduces moth caterpillar abundance, when compared with unlighted areas, and is linked to slowed caterpillar development . In addition, studies have shown that these disruptions were more evident when streetlights were outfitted with LEDs (light-emitting diodes ) than yellow sodium-vapor lamps. The declines in firefly populations have also been linked to light pollution, which likely interferes with the insects’ bioluminescent mating signals.

Light pollution can be reduced by using well-designed light fixtures with modern optical controls to direct the light downward and also by using the minimum amount of wattage for the area to be illuminated. Residents can reduce light pollution by closing their curtains or blinds at night and by minimizing the use of outdoor lighting.

National and local government agencies can help by passing and enforcing appropriate light-control laws and ordinances. In 2002 the Czech Republic became the first country to enact a law to address light pollution: all outdoor fixtures were required to have a shield to prevent light from extending above the horizontal. In the United States and elsewhere, many coastal municipalities have regulations to reduce light pollution near beaches to preserve the nesting habitats of sea turtles.

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Light pollution

• The use of artificial light at night has expanded and intensified over past decades, and recent advances in LED technology have accelerated those trends.
• Light pollution severely disrupts nocturnal ecosystems, interferes with the natural rhythms of plants and animals, mars the wilderness experience and landscape beauty, carries risks to human health and safety, and wastes energy.
• Individuals, institutions, and governments should take actions to limit light pollution, including changing light bulbs and fixtures; adopting measures governing development around biodiversity and protected areas; and creating and promoting dark-sky areas.

What is the issue?

Light pollution is the human-made alteration of outdoor light levels from those occurring naturally. In practical terms, light pollution is the presence of unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive artificial lighting.

Light pollution can have a number of negative impacts, from disturbing migrating birds and newly hatched sea turtles to marring wilderness experience and landscape beauty. It can also pose risks to human health.

Despite a burgeoning awareness of light pollution and its effects, and the growing number of dark-sky places, the overall situation is getting worse. According to a 2023 study published in Science magazine , the number of stars visible in the night sky decreased between 7-10% per year from 2011 to 2022. That rate means that a location with 250 visible stars in 2011 would have seen a reduction over a decade to 100 visible stars.

Several factors account for the increasing light pollution.

Rural and suburban development continues apace in many countries. Alongside population growth, citizens understandably seek higher standards of living, resulting in more roads, houses, shopping plazas, and street lighting.

According to DarkSky International , an organisation that pushes to limit light pollution, one-third of all light in developed countries is wasted by poorly directed or unshielded lamps.

The type of lighting in use has also changed. LED lighting makes it very cheap to have more light – and brighter light – than ever before. Coupled with the false assumption that more light is better, homeowners and property managers are rapidly increasing the quantity of light emitted outdoors. While the energy savings and long-term reliability of LED lights are positive attributes, there is less public awareness of limiting the luminance and spectrum of whatever lighting system is used, and to use shielding to reduce glare and light trespass onto neighbouring properties.

Why is this important?

Light pollution interferes with predator/prey relationships and plant phenology; disorients migrating birds and newly hatched sea turtles, among other species; and attracts insects to artificial lights so they more easily become prey to birds, and more.

Animals may experience temporal confusion when there is too much artificial light at night, affecting behaviour governing mating, sleep, finding food, and, of course, avoiding becoming food. Excessive artificial light can also interfere with the symbiosis that is critical to plant pollination and reproduction, and can negatively impact amphibians’ foraging and reproduction habits. Cumulatively, light pollution threatens to disrupt the functioning of ecosystems and the benefits they provide to people.

Light pollution also interferes with amateur and research astronomy, mars wilderness experience and landscape beauty, carries risks to human health and safety, and wastes energy. Perhaps most importantly to people, it takes away the enjoyment and awe of the immensity of space, and the spiritual experience of discovering our place in the immensity of nature.

Many traditional societies incorporate features and rhythms of the night sky into their culture and seasonal practices. For example, New Zealand’s Māori people consider astronomical knowledge to be a special treasure important for many aspects of society, from spiritual practices to the growing of crops, fishing and navigation, telling the time and changes in season. Even in contemporary times around the world, the cycles of the Moon, planets, meteor showers, and other celestial phenomena form a major part of social customs and story-telling. The structures of many archaeological sites reflect this importance.

Artificial light that serves no purpose is also a waste of money and energy. Reducing light pollution therefore also benefits energy consumers financially, and helps mitigate climate change by reducing the emissions associated with energy production.

What can be done?

Unlike environmental challenges like climate change, species extinction, and habitat destruction, which require significant top-down responses, meaningful action can be taken from the bottom up to address light pollution. That means that as much as governments can implement policies to limit light pollution – countries like France, Slovenia, and Croatia already have laws to this effect – individual homeowners can make a difference by doing as little as changing light bulbs and fixtures.

Individuals, institutions, and governments should follow the principles below to adopt nature-friendly outdoor lighting.

• Need: Use light only where needed. Consider how the use of light will impact the area, including wildlife interactions and habitats. Rather than permanent lights, use reflective paint or self-luminous markers for signs, curbs, and steps. Outdoor lighting should not be used for aesthetic purposes.
• Brightness: Use the least amount of light needed for the activity taking place. Be aware of surface conditions as some surfaces reflect a lot of light into the sky.
• Colour: Minimise blue and violet spectral components, i.e. use warm-white, yellow, or amber light. This aids night vision by all animals, including people.
• Shielding: Use shielding so that light does not spill beyond where it is needed. To reduce skyglow, do not use luminaires that project any light above the horizontal. Reduce glare by restricting beams to downward cones. This improves the ability of drivers and pedestrians to see into shadows.
• Timing: Use light only when needed. Turn lights off after use, or use active controls such as timers and motion detectors so that lights are on only when needed.
• Encourage neighbours to reduce their light pollution by observing these principles, especially to reduce glare and light trespass into your domain.

There is also a burgeoning world movement to establish “dark-sky places”. These are areas independently certified to have a management plan to minimise light pollution; have night skies below a certain level of skyglow; host public engagement and outreach activities related to the night; support ecological integrity; and engage with local and regional citizens, companies, and management agencies to foster good outdoor lighting practices. Most such places include protected areas, but there are exceptions. There are over 350 dark-sky places across the world .

Dark-sky sites

Map created and updated by the IUCN Dark Skies Advisory Group

Where can I get more information?

IUCN Dark Skies Advisory Group

Welch, D. et al. (2024) The world at night: preserving natural darkness for heritage conservation and night sky appreciation . IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.

DarkSky International

Fundación Starlight

Light Pollution Abatement at the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

West Africa is characterized by rapid population growth, endemic poverty and poor governance and…

The identification, designation and management of Wetlands of International Importance (“Ramsar…

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• Review Article
• Published: 23 May 2024

Monitoring, trends and impacts of light pollution

• Hector Linares Arroyo   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0034-3700 1 ,
• Angela Abascal 2 ,
• Tobias Degen 3 , 4 ,
• Martin Aubé 5 , 6 ,
• Brian R. Espey 7 ,
• Geza Gyuk 8 ,
• Franz Hölker   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5932-266X 3 , 9 ,
• Andreas Jechow   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7596-6366 3 , 10 ,
• Monika Kuffer 2 ,
• Alejandro Sánchez de Miguel 11 , 12 ,
• Alexandre Simoneau 5 , 6 ,
• Ken Walczak 8 &
• Christopher C. M. Kyba 13 , 14  

Nature Reviews Earth & Environment volume  5 ,  pages 417–430 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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• Atmospheric chemistry
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• Environmental impact

An Author Correction to this article was published on 03 July 2024

This article has been updated

Light pollution has increased globally, with 80% of the total population now living under light-polluted skies. In this Review, we elucidate the scope and importance of light pollution and discuss techniques to monitor it. In urban areas, light emissions from sources such as street lights lead to a zenith radiance 40 times larger than that of an unpolluted night sky. Non-urban areas account for over 50% of the total night-time light observed by satellites, with contributions from sources such as transportation networks and resource extraction. Artificial light can disturb the migratory and reproductive behaviours of animals even at the low illuminances from diffuse skyglow. Additionally, lighting (indoor and outdoor) accounts for 20% of global electricity consumption and 6% of CO 2 emissions, leading to indirect environmental impacts and a financial cost. However, existing monitoring techniques can only perform a limited number of measurements throughout the night and lack spectral and spatial resolution. Therefore, satellites with improved spectral and spatial resolution are needed to enable time series analysis of light pollution trends throughout the night.

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Towards an absolute light pollution indicator

Air pollution mitigation can reduce the brightness of the night sky in and near cities

A consistent and corrected nighttime light dataset (CCNL 1992–2013) from DMSP-OLS data

Data availability.

The Radiance Light Trends webtool used to obtain the data plotted in Fig.  5 is available at https://doi.org/10.5880/GFZ.1.4.2019.001 .

Change history

03 july 2024.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-024-00577-3

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Acknowledgements

A.A., A.S, C.C.M.K., F.H., H.L.A., M.A., M.K. and T.D. received funding for this work through ESA’s New Earth Observation Mission Ideas (NEOMI) program under contract 4000139244/22/NL. A.S.d.M. has been funded by European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement number 847635 (UNA4CAREER). A.J. was supported by the project BELLVUE “Beleuchtungsplanung: Verfahren und Methoden für eine naturschutzfreundliche Beleuchtungsgestaltung” by the BfN with funds from the BMU (FKZ: 3521 84 1000).

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Linares Arroyo, H., Abascal, A., Degen, T. et al. Monitoring, trends and impacts of light pollution. Nat Rev Earth Environ 5 , 417–430 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-024-00555-9

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Accepted : 05 April 2024

Published : 23 May 2024

Issue Date : June 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-024-00555-9

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