Our world is getting brighter day by day, it may look good to general public but scientists say its not good. Light pollution, also known as photopollution, is the presence of anthropogenic light in the night environment. It is exacerbated by excessive, misdirected or obtrusive uses of light, but even carefully used light fundamentally alters natural conditions.
With the help of satellite radiometer for night lights, which can detect radiance, a team of scientists found a 2.2% increase in the Earth’s outdoor artificial lighting each year between 2012 and 2016. This increase is much faster in developing countries than in developed countries.
Steady increase in the use of energy efficient lights will result in even more light pollution and a reduction of natural day-light cycles.
About 30% of vertebrates and about 60% of invertebrates that are nocturnal are on threat due to light pollution. Light pollution has also become threat to the health of the birds. A study suggests that high intensity of light during night time have altered behavior of birds in terms of migration, foraging and vocal communication
“From energy economics, there’s a phenomenon called The Rebound Effect,” Christopher Kyba of the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, lead author of the study said: If we have an energy-efficient car, for example, we allow ourselves to live farther from work and thus end up driving more. Though there’s a limit to the amount of time one spends driving, with LED lights, there seems to be no saturation point.(Source : CNN)
The improved energy efficiency has therefore led to more LED lighting being installed in households and outdoors, Kyba said. He also highlighted an issue with the way people are using LEDs, which offer features like dimmers that are going unused.
“What is currently happening is that we take take the old lamps out, keep the masts standing and get the new lamp on,” he said.