By Brianna Hang
As technology is advancing, light is a topic that’s taking a bigger part in people’s daily lives. Previously, people were able to see the constellations in the sky which brought beauty and inspiration to famous artworks and performances. In the 1920s, city life attracted people because of the opportunities thus, the urban population increased due to immigration. As the population continues to grow today, industrialized electricity makes street lights brighter and cheaper for a safer, attractive nightlife. However, the overexposure of artificial lights such as light bulbs and lamp posts is a growing concern. Light pollution is a phenomenon where the night environment is brightly lit up with man-made light sources; the effects of light pollution can disrupt natural cycles as well as inhibit star observation. While the world continues to use light for everyday use, the overexposure of artificial light is creating more harm than good as artificial light can disrupt natural cycles and human health, thus revealing the need for limiting the amount of man-made light in the environment.
First, light pollution can disrupt the night environment, nocturnal animals, and plants. Migratory patterns can be affected due to the fact that nocturnal wildlife sleeps during the day and are active at night. Artificial lighting can alter their sleep schedule by turning their night time into day time which as a result, interferes with reproduction and population growth. In addition, there’s an increased risk for prey to be eaten, especially herbivores, who engage in foraging and consuming resources during the darkest periods of the night. Overexposure to light can make the nightlife seem much brighter as if it was lit by a full moon, thus resulting in the starvation of some animals because they are not able to go out in order to look for food. Although it may seem like this could benefit predators, it can negatively affect them in the long run. Competition for food will start to rise as nocturnal prey begin to decrease, and light pollution’s impact on the food chain can change the predator-prey relations psychologically and physically. Also, street lighting can increase the amount of roadkill because the light coming from the headlights of a vehicle can cause the “deer-in-the-headlights effect”. In other words, the deer becomes blinded by the light until its eyes start adjusting to the brightness level, thus causing it to stay still in the same spot. A solution would be to turn off the headlights and switch on the parking lights, so the deer can adjust their vision towards the road side. Overall, the disruption of ecological life is harmful to the food chain, mostly impacting human health and the nocturnal animals who depend on the night to find their food.
Second, human evolution has established a natural day and night cycle, so the majority of people are not able to experience the darkest nights. According to the light pollution map, most of the artificial light is condensed in urban areas like New York City or Washington D.C. because of the tourist hotspots that garner attention worldwide. However, these lights can harm human health–especially melatonin production which induces sleep, boosts the immune system, and lowers cholesterol. Specifically, blue light coming from electronic devices can suppress melatonin and lead to eye strain and fatigue. A solution would be to switch to yellow light because the cones of the eye are not sensitive to warmer colors. Since the eyes are not strained, it’s the perfect light before going to bed because it can make a person feel sleepy afterward. There are different components that makeup light pollution:
Glare - A visual discomfort caused by an extreme brightness of light
Skyglow - Overexposure of light reflecting into the night sky around populated areas
Light Trespass - A light spill cast in areas where it is not intended or necessary
Clutter - Confusing and extremely bright groupings of light sources that commonly surround over-lit urban areas like cities or capitals
In summary, light continues to be necessary as it is a major component of everyday technology. Throughout history, people have evolved to accept light as a source of new beginnings and beauty in a void of darkness. Ironically, through this brilliant beauty, our natural sky is vanishing above as we bask in the LED and fluorescent lights that take away our slumber.
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