Most, if not all, environmental pollution comes from humans and their inventions. One of the two most common and recognizable of these is the automobile and plastic. The car industry is a major contribution when it comes to air pollution and plastic threatens the entire ocean and its inhabitants. But what about the lightbulb? The electric lightbulb is thought to be one of the best and most practical inventions of human existence. Electric light helps us continue to work even after the sun has set. However, due to the excess of artificial light, light pollution is affecting human health and our ability to observe stars and planets.
An atlas of the globe published in 2016 made it glaringly obvious that light pollution is a global issue. The atlas shows how and where our globe is lit up at night. North America, Europe, and the Middle East are glowing, whereas the Amazon, the Sahara Desert, and Siberia are in total darkness. Light pollution is more prevalent in cities because of the increased amount of cars, homes, buildings, and factories. People in more secluded areas have a much easier time seeing stars and astronomers are also starting to comment that it is getting harder and harder to see celestial objects.
More than 80 percent of the world’s population, and 99 percent of Americans and Europeans, liver under sky glow. All this artificial light interrupts sleep and confuses the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is the internal, twenty-four-hour clock that affects physiological processes in every living organism. One of these processes is the production of melatonin and an increased amount of light at night lowers the production of melatonin which results in sleep deprivation, fatigue, stress, and anxiety. Blue light, (cell phones, computer screens, and LEDs) in particular, has been shown to reduce levels of melatonin in humans.
An organization working to reduce light pollution is the International Dark Sky Association who educates the public and certifies places that have reduced their contribution to sky glow. States have also enacted legislation to control outdoor lighting and factories have designed and produced alternative light sources that save energy and reduce light pollution. The average citizen can help as well by using outdoor lighting only when necessary, making sure outdoor lights face down instead of up to the sky, and closing windows and blinds at night to keep light inside
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