Last week, the Science journal published a paper outlining the impact of light pollution. And it contains some very alarming observations. Between 2011 and 2022, scientists spotted fewer stars with their naked eyes each passing year. Artificial lighting overpowered everything making the dimmest stars barely visible. And they noted that the skies got brighter by about 10% every year. (View Highlight)
For instance, plants have photoperiods i.e. light decides how they grow and develop. So when you use artificial lights, you mess around with this very important function. They get confused. It affects how they flower. It affects how they grow. They may even bloom earlier. And while this might not seem like such a bad thing at first, this change in behaviour can also confuse pollinators — like bees. And well, plants rely on bees to reproduce. So it creates a ripple effect. (View Highlight)
Speaking of bees. The Indian Carpenter Bee is the world’s only known nocturnal bee species. They go about their pollinating business at night. You can find them in the Bhimashankar wildlife sanctuary — around 100 km from Mumbai. And the problem with Mumbai is that it’s brightly lit at night. You have skyglow and the skyglow affects the sanctuary. (View Highlight)
And yes, the birds. Especially migratory birds that navigate using stars. Bright lights could prevent them from reaching their natural destination altogether. And worse, they get confused and bump into brightly lit glass buildings. You see, birds don’t understand reflection and can’t make out that the glass is a barrier. All they see is the light and they fly straight into it. In New York City, the ‘city that never sleeps’, over 100,000 migratory birds are killed because they collide into these brightly lit buildings each year. Imagine this happening across the world. (View Highlight)
And when migratory birds die, farmers suffer in tandum. You see, migratory seabirds are extremely valuable to the ecosystem. Or at least, their poop is. It’s a potent organic fertiliser. They call it guano. This poop or guano is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus — stuff that’s basically plant food. And seabirds can produce nutrient-rich guano that’s worth a whopping $1 billion a year. (View Highlight)
In fact, even the official website of the Forest Department of Andhra Pradesh talks about guano. Because droppings from migratory Pelicans are very important for farmers near the Nelapattu National Park. Their poop is free fertiliser. (View Highlight)
In 2021, the city of Pittsburgh in the US decided to switch to dark sky lighting. This meant more lights that were dependent on motion sensors. Or fixing lights that were dimmer, cooler and with a lower wattage. Even making sure that lights had protective shields that would direct the light downwards to reduce pollution. (View Highlight)
Australia too has guidelines in place. They encourage natural darkness where possible. And using low-intensity lights targeted to light up only the intended region. Even painting surfaces with darker shades to avoid reflecting light. They also prescribe regular light audits. Just to make sure that these artificial lights aren’t hurting the migratory birds and sea turtles during nesting season. (View Highlight)
