For the 11th year running, cities worldwide turned their lights off on Saturday(yesterday) to mark Earth Hour in a global call to action on climate change.
EARTH HOUR :
(i) Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
(ii) The event is held annually encouraging everyone to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. towards the end of March,
(iii) The moment of darkness should also serve as a reminder of another problem that gets far less attention i.e. light pollution.
(ii) The event is held annually encouraging everyone to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. towards the end of March,
(iii) The moment of darkness should also serve as a reminder of another problem that gets far less attention i.e. light pollution.
LIGHT POLLUTION :
(a) More than 80% of humanity lives under skies saturated with artificial light.
(b) In the United States and western Europe, that figure goes up to 99 percent of the population, most of whom cannot discern the Milky Way in the night sky.
(c) Components of light pollution include :
1. Glare – excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort
2. Skyglow – brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas
3. Light trespass – light falling where it is not intended or needed
4. Clutter – bright, confusing and excessive groupings of light sources.
(b) In the United States and western Europe, that figure goes up to 99 percent of the population, most of whom cannot discern the Milky Way in the night sky.
(c) Components of light pollution include :
1. Glare – excessive brightness that causes visual discomfort
2. Skyglow – brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas
3. Light trespass – light falling where it is not intended or needed
4. Clutter – bright, confusing and excessive groupings of light sources.
EFFECTS :
1. Artificial lighting has been shown to disturb the reproductive cycles of some animals and the migration of birds that navigate using the stars and to disorient night-flying insects.
2. For humans, circadian rhythms that regulate hormones and other bodily functions can also be thrown out of whack by too much light at night.
3. Even the most ardent critics of light pollution are not saying cities should go dark, or that lighting is not an essential element of urban life.
2. For humans, circadian rhythms that regulate hormones and other bodily functions can also be thrown out of whack by too much light at night.
3. Even the most ardent critics of light pollution are not saying cities should go dark, or that lighting is not an essential element of urban life.
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