Light Pollution is the overuse or misdirected use of artificial lights. Too much light pollution has plenty of consequences, many of which are on the environment and the ecosystems living within it. Research Scientist Christopher Kyba says, "the introduction of artificial light probably represents the most drastic change human beings have made to their environment". Here's exactly how this affects our environment.
Research shows that city skies are now thousands of times brighter than they were 200 years ago, affecting all sorts of animals and their ecosystems. Sea turtles hatch on the beach at night and find their way to the ocean by detecting light over the horizon. However, artificial lights draw them away from the ocean, causing millions of hatchlings to die this way every year. Birds that migrate or hunt at night use moonlight and starlight to guide themselves, but artificial light can completely throw them off. Often these birds end up wandering into dangerous cities at night and end up colliding with buildings and towers.
Second, light pollution ruins our sky. In major cities like Hong Kong, it's nearly impossible to see the stars in the night sky. Research has shown that light pollution has only been increasing, so stars in the night sky will only get less visible over time. Additionally, it affects astronomical research as well.
These are just a few examples of how light pollution can affect our ecosystems and our environment. So, how can you help? Well, the easiest way is to turn off your lights! When you're not home, turning off lights is a great way to help. On top of that, making sure any outdoor lights are motion sensing can help as well.
To sum everything up, light pollution is a huge problem for our environment for plenty of reasons. It harms animals, messes with astronomical research, and dilutes our night sky. Although light pollution isn't a popular subject, it's important to raise awareness before the effects become irreversible.
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