The article provided an abundance of new information for me on the issue of light pollution. Before this class, I was not even aware of light as a type of pollution. The first time I had heard of light pollution was during our discussion of Urban Flyway from City at the Water’s Edge in which light at night can disturb the migration patterns of birds. Much like sound, I had experienced situations in which glare and very bright light made me annoyed. I was, however, aware of the potential health effects. One instance was with a new kitchen appliance store that had opened on the street across from my apartment. For a few weeks, the store always had very bright lights on during the night (when it was closed) that I found unnecessary. The bright lights shined on to my window and made it a bit difficult to sleep.
Despite this experience, I had not considered light to be a type of societal pollution. However, this article clearly shows otherwise. The many examples used with animals such as the birds and sea turtles clearly show that light can harmfully affect organisms. In terms specifically of humans, the article discusses how light pollution can disrupt our circadian physiology, increase our chances of cancer, cause sleep disorder, and decrease melatonin production levels. All of these health effects show that light pollution is harmful and a problem for society.
However, one aspect that is very lacking from this article are solutions. As the article acknowledges, “light pollution is still way down the list of important environmental issues needing study” (27). The big issue is money. Money is important, and the economics behind any environmental action or program is important. Outside of the common known pollutions of air and water, there is also sound, light, and many more that people might not be as aware of. Each of these problems needs money or funding to support research and programs that allow us to learn more about the problem as well as potential solutions. The important question is to how to allocate the available funding or how to expand the pool of funding available. This article, overall, made me curious about what programs addressing light pollution currently exists and how is the government responding.
