Archive for Wednesday 19th February 2003 - Light pollution

Light pollution is blinding us - and our vision of the heavens. Some dispute the influence the stars and planets have on our lives, but few can argue that our view of the skies is not getting dimmer. Campaigners say that the urban skyglow, caused by badly-designed or poorly-aimed public and domestic lights, is avoidable. “As much as 30 per cent of energy used in lighting shines wastefully into the sky,” claims Bob Mizon of Campaign for Dark Skies. This stray light unnecessarily eclipses the outstanding beauty of the cosmos, and deprives us of the natural flow of inspiration, awe and wonder that emanates from it. In his book, Light Pollution - Responses And Remedies (Springer, £22) Mizon reports: “There are sites in modern town centres where nothing external to the solar system is ever seen in the sky.” Less than half of Europe can now see the Milky Way. And the Council for the Protection of Rural England reports that, since the 1960s, England has lost over 20 per cent of its tranquil areas to urban sprawl, traffic and light pollution. Wildlife around the world is also badly affected – for example, the UK glow-worm population has been radically reduced. For more information visit: www.darkskies.freeserve.co.uk Mark Winter

How you can reduce light pollution 1 Switch off lights whenever possible. 2 Do not use over-bright lights 3 Use well-designed lights that limit glare 4 Minimise glare by pointing lights downward 5 Use infra-red detector switches and low-brightness night lighting.

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