Natural nighttime darkness is a rapidly vanishing resource around the world, but protecting it is simple and cost-effective. In short, it's good for people, good for business, and good for the planet.
There are a number of benefits associated with adopting and promoting various policies and practices that help protect the night sky. These fall into four broad categories.
Environment
Many people are surprised to learn that the quality of the night sky, in terms of how it is affected by light pollution, is a reflection of the quality of nighttime conditions on the ground. It takes a lot of electricity to power all of the outdoor light at night that humanity now uses, and much of that light is wasted because it is designed, installed and operated in a way that inefficiently serves the needs of people. Light pollution is, fundamentally, an environmental problem.
Adhering to outdoor lighting best practice, which reduces overall light consumption through better and more efficient use of light at night, can help lower greenhouse gas emissions and shrink carbon footprints. And the policies that embrace these practices are truly sustainable, while focusing solely on energy savings through the use of energy efficient outdoor lighting only does not take into account the full environmental and social costs of lighting. Even as our world transitions to the use of renewable sources of energy, it's still important that we reduce energy consumption in order to ensure that future supplies of energy are adequate.
But it's not just about energy. Dark-sky friendly lighting also has ecological benefits, reducing adverse impacts on nocturnal wildlife, especially in urban settings. Given that many species are under intense stress from sources such as climate change, limiting outdoor artificial light at night use can improve the health of local ecosystems and promote biodiversity.
Economics
At the end of the day, pursuing dark skies just makes good financial sense. Since much of the outdoor light at night humanity currently uses is wasted, improving the situation through better attention to lighting design stands to save a lot of money. That goes for public and private entities alike. Modernizing outdoor site lighting saves electricity, increases nighttime visibility, and enhances outdoor ambience and placemaking at night. It makes outdoor spaces at night more attractive to users by conveying a sense of safety that encourages people to turn out for evening events and participate in a nighttime economy. For communities and governments, dark-sky friendly outdoor lighting can lower the cost of providing an essential public service.
Dark-sky designations, such as those offered by the IDA International Dark Sky Places Program, can enhance the public visibility of a place or brand, suggesting credibility and commitment to resource conservation. A commitment to nighttime darkness promotes sustainable tourism ('astrotourism') that is thought to have a higher economic impact than daytime-only tourism. One recent study estimates that on the Colorado Plateau of the western U.S. alone, astrotourism will generate $5.8 billion in local economic activity during the 2020s, supporting over 10,000 jobs regionally. Stargazing is a family-friendly activity that expands tourism offerings, especially in off- and shoulder seasons, and tourism experts rate its growth potential in the next decade as very high.
Public Safety
Besides cost, the main source of hesitation among those considering adopting dark-skies principles is concern for nighttime safety. There is a persistent belief that more brightly lit outdoor spaces at night are safer spaces, but the available evidence doesn't bear that out. Rather, real gains in safety and security appear to come from carefully considering the application of outdoor light at night to meet the needs of users while avoiding waste. "Dark skies" doesn't have to mean "dark ground"!
Better targeting of outdoor lighting to user needs reduces dependence on lighting generally, providing real safety and security in outdoor spaces at night while minimizing the impact of lighting on the night sky. Mindful outdoor lighting design that takes into account all of the capabilities and characteristics of lighting products gets the job done better and at lower cost than traditional designs that simply turn night into day.
New technologies, like light-emitting diodes (LEDs), offer amazing control of light at night, from its direction to the timing of its application, enabling finely tuned designs at lower cost and higher energy efficiency. There is simply no downside to opting for these technologies, but their proper implementation requires the right expertise.
Culture and Heritage
For countless millennia, people had an immediate connection to the night sky, which was at that time unspoiled by light pollution. In fact, the human connection to the night and the night sky is as old as humanity itself. The nighttime experience has inspired great works of art, literature and music.
However, wasted outdoor light at night has increasingly separated humanity from the source of that inspiration. As of 2016, at least 80% of the world and more than 99% of Americans and Europeans lived under light-polluted skies. More than a third of people around the world lived in places where the Milky Way was permanently hidden from view due to light pollution. Removing this separation through simple changes in the ways we use outdoor light at night may even help overcome what some psychologists and social scientists have come to call "nature deficit disorder".
The awe and wonder associated with viewing the cosmos can also help promote positive public opinions about STEM, from support for the public scientific enterprise to encouraging the discoveries that will advance technology and power the economy of the future.
There are a number of benefits associated with adopting and promoting various policies and practices that help protect the night sky. These fall into four broad categories.
Environment
Many people are surprised to learn that the quality of the night sky, in terms of how it is affected by light pollution, is a reflection of the quality of nighttime conditions on the ground. It takes a lot of electricity to power all of the outdoor light at night that humanity now uses, and much of that light is wasted because it is designed, installed and operated in a way that inefficiently serves the needs of people. Light pollution is, fundamentally, an environmental problem.
Adhering to outdoor lighting best practice, which reduces overall light consumption through better and more efficient use of light at night, can help lower greenhouse gas emissions and shrink carbon footprints. And the policies that embrace these practices are truly sustainable, while focusing solely on energy savings through the use of energy efficient outdoor lighting only does not take into account the full environmental and social costs of lighting. Even as our world transitions to the use of renewable sources of energy, it's still important that we reduce energy consumption in order to ensure that future supplies of energy are adequate.
But it's not just about energy. Dark-sky friendly lighting also has ecological benefits, reducing adverse impacts on nocturnal wildlife, especially in urban settings. Given that many species are under intense stress from sources such as climate change, limiting outdoor artificial light at night use can improve the health of local ecosystems and promote biodiversity.
Economics
At the end of the day, pursuing dark skies just makes good financial sense. Since much of the outdoor light at night humanity currently uses is wasted, improving the situation through better attention to lighting design stands to save a lot of money. That goes for public and private entities alike. Modernizing outdoor site lighting saves electricity, increases nighttime visibility, and enhances outdoor ambience and placemaking at night. It makes outdoor spaces at night more attractive to users by conveying a sense of safety that encourages people to turn out for evening events and participate in a nighttime economy. For communities and governments, dark-sky friendly outdoor lighting can lower the cost of providing an essential public service.
Dark-sky designations, such as those offered by the IDA International Dark Sky Places Program, can enhance the public visibility of a place or brand, suggesting credibility and commitment to resource conservation. A commitment to nighttime darkness promotes sustainable tourism ('astrotourism') that is thought to have a higher economic impact than daytime-only tourism. One recent study estimates that on the Colorado Plateau of the western U.S. alone, astrotourism will generate $5.8 billion in local economic activity during the 2020s, supporting over 10,000 jobs regionally. Stargazing is a family-friendly activity that expands tourism offerings, especially in off- and shoulder seasons, and tourism experts rate its growth potential in the next decade as very high.
Public Safety
Besides cost, the main source of hesitation among those considering adopting dark-skies principles is concern for nighttime safety. There is a persistent belief that more brightly lit outdoor spaces at night are safer spaces, but the available evidence doesn't bear that out. Rather, real gains in safety and security appear to come from carefully considering the application of outdoor light at night to meet the needs of users while avoiding waste. "Dark skies" doesn't have to mean "dark ground"!
Better targeting of outdoor lighting to user needs reduces dependence on lighting generally, providing real safety and security in outdoor spaces at night while minimizing the impact of lighting on the night sky. Mindful outdoor lighting design that takes into account all of the capabilities and characteristics of lighting products gets the job done better and at lower cost than traditional designs that simply turn night into day.
New technologies, like light-emitting diodes (LEDs), offer amazing control of light at night, from its direction to the timing of its application, enabling finely tuned designs at lower cost and higher energy efficiency. There is simply no downside to opting for these technologies, but their proper implementation requires the right expertise.
Culture and Heritage
For countless millennia, people had an immediate connection to the night sky, which was at that time unspoiled by light pollution. In fact, the human connection to the night and the night sky is as old as humanity itself. The nighttime experience has inspired great works of art, literature and music.
However, wasted outdoor light at night has increasingly separated humanity from the source of that inspiration. As of 2016, at least 80% of the world and more than 99% of Americans and Europeans lived under light-polluted skies. More than a third of people around the world lived in places where the Milky Way was permanently hidden from view due to light pollution. Removing this separation through simple changes in the ways we use outdoor light at night may even help overcome what some psychologists and social scientists have come to call "nature deficit disorder".
The awe and wonder associated with viewing the cosmos can also help promote positive public opinions about STEM, from support for the public scientific enterprise to encouraging the discoveries that will advance technology and power the economy of the future.
