Slashdot Mirror
Night Being 'Lost' To Artificial Light (bbc.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: A study of pictures of Earth by night has revealed that artificial light is growing brighter and more extensive every year. Between 2012 and 2016, the planet's artificially lit outdoor area grew by more than 2 percent per year. Scientists say a "loss of night" in many countries is having negative consequences for "flora, fauna, and human well-being." A team published the findings in the journal Science Advances. It showed that changes in brightness over time varied greatly by country. Some of the world's "brightest nations," such as the US and Spain, remained the same. Most nations in South America, Africa and Asia grew brighter. Only a few countries showed a decrease in brightness, such as Yemen and Syria -- both experiencing warfare. The nocturnal satellite images -- of glowing coastlines and spider-like city networks -- look quite beautiful but artificial lighting has unintended consequences for human health and the environment.
The street lights on the road behind my house were damaged by hurricane Irma and still have not been fixed, and I'm loving it. The darkness outside at night is beautiful and serene; I hate the ugly yellow-orange glow of sodium lighting.
I wish people would appreciate darkness at night. And even then, "security" lighting can be done so that an area is softly lit without blasting bright light in all directions.
We could all move to North Korea. That place is pretty dark at night (and during the day for that matter).
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Small children shouldn't be running down the road unsupervised after dark :) I realize that in winter the sun never actually rises in the north, so we also have things like flashlights and reflective clothing. And don't run around in all black at night. Stupid is a capitol offense.
[citation needed]
Grandpa Caveman says, artificial light has been spoiling the night ever since those darn kids invented Fire.
Is the park actually safer or do you just think it is because it's well-lit?
This is a very important point. People assume that lights provide security, but the evidence for this is at best very weak. Most studies that have been done (research on this is limited) have found lighting increases the crime rate!
And so you see completely empty areas that are closed and fenced off at night brightly lit for "security", and remote service buildings, water towers, etc. with lights on them for no benefit whatsoever. It is similar to car alarms. If you hear a car alarm go off do you rush out to frustate the possible car thief? No one does this. Everyone just ignores it. Similarly unless there is someone actually watching the light deters no one, it just helps the criminals case the joint and spot potential victims to attack.
Everyone wants "security" so bright lights go up everywhere.
Second class citizen of the New Gilded Age