New rules have just come into force in Czechia aiming to tackle the problem of light pollution. Their goal is to lower the negative impact on the health of people and wildlife by, for instance, setting a maximum level of illumination for street lighting.
Over 80 percent of people around the world currently live under an artificially lit sky at night. In Europe and North America, the number is even higher, with artificial light reaching even the most remote regions of wildlife.
Light pollution has grown by at least 50 percent over the past 25 years and affects not only our health and environment but also our energy consumption, says Ruskin Hartley, director of the International Dark Sky Association, who recently attended a conference on light pollution in Brno:
“By some estimates, in Europe alone, we are emitting 38 terawatt hours of energy each year just to light the night sky. That’s estimated to be at least 10 billion wasted euros.
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Authors: Ruth Fraňková, Martin Srb