Some Jewels Are Tumors: Light Pollution

Human race can be messy, and to substantiate this, we just need to look around us. Point to contemplate is how much percentage of pollution we contribute to the environment in our everyday life? Well, every invention is a blessing to mankind yet, there are always strings attached to it; Edison could not ponder upon the discovery of bulb and artificial light, that has illuminated the darkest of nights and that has made the night sky to be replaced by the city lights. With so many artificial lights, our cities have turned into an over-illuminated fairyland.

The artificial light has contributed a lot in damaging nature's way of living and the natural habitats. Precisely, the phenomenon of light production has given rise to light pollution as well. The sea turtles that once followed the moon light to find their passage way back into the sea, and many other microbes and species like these are at the risk of extinction in near future because they are either prayed by the other animals or die in quest of finding their passage in bright artificial light. This disrupts the natural balance of life in the ecosystem. Not just that, this artificial light is affecting the human body and behavior since it has altered the sleeping cycles and natural production of melatonin; a hormone which helps the body and brain cells to relax. This has changed the pattern of behavior leading to the issues like sleep deprivation, insomnia and eye-sight problems. Resultantly, it has speeded up the aging process as well. Moreover, light pollution adversely affects the casual observers of the night sky, since it distorts the visibility of stars and other celestial objects. Night sky, if you notice, is less visible, majorly owing to the “skyglow”—the intense flow of artificial light in the upward direction including lamps, floodlights etc. Well, solid and liquid particles in our atmosphere reflect the scattered flow of light, causing it to return to the eyes of people on the ground, and distorting their view of the night sky. Amanda Gormley, senior director of Tucson-based International Dark-Sky Association, says;

“The disappearance of the night sky is tied-up in our ever more fast-paced world. We lose something essential; we lose a part of ourselves when we lose access to the night sky. We lose that sense of stillness and awe that should be right over our heads every night”

When everything is in our consciousness now, let us throw some light on an imperative dimension—what we can do to manage light pollution on an individual level? First of all, we need to acknowledge the use of excessive lights as a problem. We need to understand that turning off the extra lights, even if it is a small bulb, can cause a huge difference in the environment. Less lights means less heat and less air pollution. Besides, we can use light shields as it prevents light from spreading nearby areas and concentrates the light on particular spots. One amazing thing that can revolutionize the lighting system is the use of motion sensors. Light will be turned on or off accordingly, when the motion sensor will be triggered; just imagine how much energy could we save through it. Moreover, replacing warm lights with cold lights would also be very beneficial, as cold light impairs the night vision, whereas, warm light prevents it to a considerable extent.

These modern jewels have become tumors for us; however, the choice is completely ours. Either we are going to let these tumors consume us or we are going to ace them through our efforts.