Starlight, But Skies are Too right

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Compare the view of a night sky from a light-polluted city and the same sky from a vantage point without light pollution

by Fred Schaaf

Today, most young Americans have never seen a naturally dark and starry sky. The awesome sight of the universe's brilliance, which has inspired humanity for millenia, is being lost to 21st century excess. The cause? Light pollution: excessive or misdirected outdoor lighting. Light pollution threatens not just the starry night but also our pocketbooks, our health, flora and fauna, motorist safety and much more.

Some places have already put laws in place to fight light pollution. But much more action is needed.

Light Pollution's Harms

By lighting up the atmosphere with "skyglow" for miles around small cities, and dozens of miles around larger ones, light pollution robs us of our awesome view of our place in the universe. But this form of pollution also robs us of money and energy. Studies show that just the light going off directly into outer space because of poorly shielded or unshielded fixtures is wasting several billion dollars in the United States each year, more than the entire annual energy consumption of most countries. Light pollution therefore contributes to the need for more power plants and their resultant air and water pollution.

Light pollution also creates some more immediately dangerous situations. For example, "glare" - unwanted light that shines directly into people's eyes - makes driving morc hazardous for motorists.

Light pollution has harmful effects on nocturnal flora and fauna. Many sea turtles, for example, have been lured inland to their deaths by poorly shielded lights, prompting some areas of Florida to pass laws to reduce light pollution.