Light is everywhere. More than 80% of the world now lives under an artificially illuminated sky, making our neighborhoods visible and homes cozy when the sun goes down, keeping us safe in the dark, and enabling us to travel and work more than ever. But too much of this gift can cause detrimental effects to our sleep, wildlife, and the environment. That's what light pollution is: the excessive or inappropriate use of artificial light. The 2019 World Atlas of Night Sky Brightness found that nearly every country is glowing, with only the most remote areas like Siberia, the Sahara, and the Amazon left in total darkness. 

Artificial light can wreak havoc on the natural body rhythm of humans and animals. Have you ever spent long hours staring at your phone, computer or TV and had trouble falling asleep? You're experiencing a low level of insomnia. But it's not you; it's light that's preventing you from sleeping. These electronic devices, and even some light, emit a high energy visible light (HEV), also known as blue light.

Blue light is a short wavelength, which means it produces higher amounts of energy. More energy can mean more damage.

A study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that compared with dim light, exposure to blue light during the night suppressed melatonin by 85% in trials. Blue light from these devices does the opposite of making you sleepy; it makes you alert when you should be resting. And with less sleep, performance sinks, mood decreases, and your overall health can be damaged. 

These effects aren't exclusive to humans. Dozens of other animals are severely affected by light pollution.It interferes with migration patterns, habitat formation, and wake-sleep schedules. Because of artificial light, it's estimated by Dark Sky that each migration season, over one million sea turtles die in Florida alone. Already, six out of seven sea turtle species are considered endangered. Oxford's American Ornthenitic Society finds that at least 365 million birds collide with illuminated buildings every year. The once clear sky is now covered in misleading light guides, driving animals to extinction. 

Last, light pollution is interfering at a cosmic scale. It's getting to the point where AAAS estimated that one-third of the world's population would never see the Milky Way beyond a few stars. While that might not seem detrimental to us, many scientists can no longer research our galaxy without traveling dozens of miles to darkness. And more importantly, this light pollution is diminishing our sense of relationships within our universe. We forget that Earth is only one speck out of thousands of planets, stars, and nothingness. 

We need our dark skies back. For our sleep, our animals, and our universe. And while it is nice to have some light here and there, some places are better in darkness. As more and more of the world illuminates, we need to keep some parts protected from our development. Take simple steps to reduce your light impact. Start by replacing older light bulbs with energy-efficient LEDs, with as little blue light as possible. Next, only use the lights you need. Your whole house doesn't need to glow for you to read a book. And finally, take some time to step into darkness. Embrace the sky and our relationships with our universe. It can even be as simple as going on a camping trip once in a while. With that, you can make sure that you help Earth be Earth.

Hey there! Below you can find the sources we used to research light pollution its the environmental effect. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding these sources.

Our Sources

Bellman, Michelle. "Why Looking Up At The Stars Is Important." The Odyssey Online, 11 Apr. 2016, http://theodysseyonline.com/bgsu/why-looking-up-at-the-stars-is-important/400304.

Falchi, Fabio. "The New World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness." Science Advances, 1 June 2016, https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/6/e1600377.

Gooley, Joshua. "Exposure to Room Light before Bedtime Suppresses Melatonin Onset and Shortens Melatonin Duration in Humans." OUP Academic, 1 Mar. 2011, https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/96/3/E463/2597236.

Information About Sea Turtles: Threats from Artificial Lighting – Sea Turtle Conservancy. https://conserveturtles.org/information-sea-turtles-threats-artificial-lighting/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2020.

Loss, Scott. "Bird–Building Collisions in the United States: Estimates of Annual Mortality and Species Vulnerability." OUP Academic, 1 Feb. 2014, https://academic.oup.com/condor/article/116/1/8/5153098.