Blinded by the light pollution: Cities seek to restore night
Key takeaways
- Artificial lights are blotting out the moon and stars, harming human health, and disrupting the natural world.
- https://p.dw.com/p/5EFu BCities around the world, like Frankfurt, are flooded with light Image: S.
- Our world is illuminated by more artificial light than ever before.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Artificial lights are blotting out the moon and stars, harming human health, and disrupting the natural world. Why is this a problem? And how can we stop it without sitting in the dark?
https://p.dw.com/p/5EFu BCities around the world, like Frankfurt, are flooded with light Image: S. Ziese/blickwinkel/picture alliance Advertisement. A streetlight right out in front of your house can make it easier to safely get in the door at night — but good luck trying to sleep without heavy curtains. That's just one example of how artificial light is useful in many aspects of our daily lives, as well as a major problem.
Our world is illuminated by more artificial light than ever before. A recent US study found that artificial light emissions at night increased by about 16% globally from 2014 through 2022, according to research published in Nature.