Light Pollution: The Positive And Negative Effects Of Light Pollution

Light Pollution

The innovation of man brings with it both positive and negative impacts to the environment. However, in most cases, it is when the negative consequences become apparent that creativity of humans is called into action. The discovery of energy-saving LED lighting was a masterstroke that increased the durability of light bulbs while only using a fraction of the amount of energy used by the orange sodium lights. However, the steady increase in the use of the blue-white lighting is causing far-reaching consequences to human beings environment, and wildlife (Falchi, Fabio, et al 2716). Various researchers and authors have written about the adverse effects of light pollution resulting from increased use of LED lighting. The purpose

However, in so doing, people are creating another bigger problem; light pollution. Brady is mainly concerned with the vast amounts of light coming from lighting the cities with LEDs. Reference is made to a study by Christopher Kyba of GFZ German Research Centre which established that the past four years had seen an average increase of 2% per a year of the artificial light from the surface of the Earth at night (Brady 1). The study further established that much of the light originates from developing countries. The writer also points out that much more light pollution goes undetected and hence the problem could be worse than

More recently, many cities have adopted LED street lighting. It was only a couple of years ago when I first learned how to drive and got late from a weekend out that I noticed how rampant the use of LED lights is in the street of my town. Many of the roads that had orange lights are adorned with the more intense white light. Besides creating unwanted glares that make driving difficulty, these lights brighten the sky and take away the joy of stargazing. While the color rendition of the white light is outstanding, the high intensity takes away any pleasure for stargazers. Shielding the LEDs can reduce the glare and light spills (Falchi, Fabio, et al 2715). However, just a week ago, when I decided to write about light pollution, I got out of the house and realized how the snow is contributing to light pollution by reflecting light to the sky. Indeed, it is for this reason that the most light-polluted sky nights occur during the winter. LED lighting only helps in exacerbating the