Saturday, July 10, 2010

Light Pollution: A Growing Problem for Wildlife

Migratory birds are veering off course. Newborn sea turtles are crawling inland rather than moving towards the sea. Nocturnal insects are flocking to the cities. Why all the confusion in the animal kingdom? Artificial lights. Researchers convened to discuss the increasing impacts of light pollution earlier this week at the 24th annual International Congress for Conservation Biology in Edmonton, Alberta.

Link: Full Article from Discovery News


  1. For an example of efforts combatting this problem, check this out and the accompanying press release (there are other subsequent reports on their efforts too). I went there in 2008, and saw the most amazing night skies I've ever seen in my life. So now that I read in a subsequent post that they are even better since this project has been undertaken, I really can't wait to go back some time. Amazing when you think how much beauty in our skies we've ceded over the years due to light pollution, not to mention the effect it may be having on wildlife.

  2. This problem, now known as light pollution, was describing in 1897 that electricity would extirpate English songbirds by killing their insect food supply. The songbirds would just starve. Well the English cuckoo is now on the IUCN Red List. So maybe it has taken 113 years but the LP is still there - the only problem is the songbirds are in decline. The LP has many "hidden" harms - it wastes energy, adds to CO2 emissions and wastes money. Your money - billions of dollars each and every year.