Bring back the night

Today, light pollution is one of the fastest-growing forms of pollution on the planet. It is growing at a rate twice that of the population growth. That yellow/white hue which bleeds from a distance into the dark night sky is a familiar foe with 99% of the population in Europe and North America, writes Aimee Corcoran, lighting designer at Wink Lighting and the SLL representative in Ireland.

Satellite measurements indicated that light levels in Ireland have increased by almost 60% over the period 1995 to 2015, mainly due to the increased development during the boom years. Interestingly, the growth of public lighting in the Republic of Ireland is 10 times faster than that of Northern Ireland.

The perception is that LEDs will be more efficient and thus cost-effective to retrofit existing sodium street lights. However, these powerful LEDs are rarely dimmable or shielded and emit too-blue a light which makes the plan not fit for purpose.

Through scientific research and technological advancements over the years, it is becoming increasingly clear that light pollution and blue light can have harmful effects on the environment, humans, animals, insects and marine life.

This light also affects our circadian rhythms negatively. Bird migration routes are disturbed. Bat feeding patterns are disrupted. Coral spawns are agitated. It affects all beings, diurnal and nocturnal.

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