Pollutions can take many forms, and when light is involved, it is known as light pollution. Light pollution can be defined as excessive or inappropriate outdoor lighting. When people talk about light pollution, they are often referring to human-made sources of lights that alter natural lighting.
Effects of Light Pollution
Maintaining natural light is essential in many ways. While most people tend to overlook the effects of light pollution, any alteration of natural light poses serious effects on plant and animal life. Here are is an objective review of how light affects everything around it.
- Animals: Light sources can attract or scare animals. Well aware that most life functions on either diurnal or nocturnal systems, this balance can be interfered with by light pol
lution. This could result in attracting unwanted species or scaring away a whole population from an ecosystem. - Earth: Everything on this planet depends on the patterns of natural light. Sly glow, for instance, can interfere with the penetration of natural UV rays in the atmosphere, which disrupts growth patterns, rates of decay, and water supply.
- People: Human beings are not very comfortable in dark environments. In an attempt to brighten things when the sun goes down, people often take measures which can pose an adverse effect on their health and safety. Light pollution in humans can be linked to obesity, sleep disorders, depression, and cancer, among other ailments.
Light pollution can only be addressed through planning and education. You need to avoid placing lights at the wrong places or turn them off to conserve energy. As awareness of light pollution continues, changes could be expected soon.