Elaine Mata Light is more than just a source of energy which tells an organism when to sleep, migrate, metabolize, and reproduce. With growing technology, humans have been interfering with such information, which is getting worse with the spread of LEDs that consume less electricity and are often brighter than their forerunner light bulb. Earlier studies on light pollution reported that light emissions are increasing at a rate of 2.2 per cent a year on average and growing by 20 per cent, faster.
The past decade has seen a significant increase in the scientific literature, examining light’s effect on several species, including birds, fish, trees, humans, and the findings aren’t good. Artificial light shifts animal migration, reproduction, tree leaf growth, pollination, birds nesting, human sleep, the spread of diseases and so much more.
Recently, Thousands of Italians were out on their balconies for three evenings, to take part in a science experiment for measuring light pollution with the help of their smartphones. The project has been named “Science on the Balcony” run by the Italian National Research Council, which has asked the participants to turn off all the lights in their homes and launch an app tailored to measure the light source’s brightness in units of lux. The project will help the scientists to measure light inside homes, bringing out the excitement of locked-down citizens. Studies on light pollutions suggest that light pollution can bring forward problems associated with public health, such as the immune system.
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