On one of the very few warm evenings we had a couple of weeks ago my partner and I decided to go for a cold beer and relax outside at a local pub. Looking around at the nearby shops I saw that most of them had left some kind of lighting on to illuminate their signage, products or the whole of the inside or outside of the building.
Now, this is something that even as a child I thought was very wasteful, particularly as my parents were always really keen on switching off lights, radios, the TV etc when we weren’t using them. I remember once asking my dad why shopkeepers left all their lights on at night and he said “So if they get burgled you can see the burglar from the outside”. Of course he was teasing me and the real reason is advertising (I guess with an element of security too).
I was wondering, if those shopkeepers switched off the lights would they save enough money each year to spend on an alternative kind of marketing? More importantly what cost does this mean to the planet and how much energy could they save?
If like me you live near a city you will see very few stars because of light pollution, but this is just one of the less adverse effects of lighting up the sky. Wildlife is affected by this artificial illumination of the night time, it interferes with the natural behaviours of birds and the habits of plants and trees. At best its a nuisance and at worst it is an energy user contributing to climate change.
Not only were many of the shops near to our local pub lit up brightly but none of them seemed to be using low energy bulbs and at this time of year it doesn’t actually get dark until about 9pm. So from shop closing time at 5pm until 9pm those lights are burning away for absolutely no reason!
According to the Environment Agency England is more brightly lit than any other European country after the Netherlands. It seems however that other countries are making steps towards reducing this unneccesary waste. In June 2006 the mayor of Madrid signed a law ordering that all neon lights were switched off within a year and in Nov 2005 Rome began to lower street and shop sign lighting.*
The Environment Agency also tell us that “Light pollution may be regarded as a ‘nuisance’ under common law, and is being added to the list of statutory nuisances in the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Local authorities and people affected by light trespass will be able to take action, though there are specific exemptions for some transport and sports facilities.”
Is it just me or does that seem a little weak? Shouldn’t the law consider light pollution as something which will dangerously affect all of us rather than simply as a ‘nuisance’ to those who take the time to report it? Does that mean that if a shop or street light isn’t shining directly into my bedroom window then I have no right to complain about the wider problems that this misuse of light is causing?
I’d love to hear your views, rants or queries on this topic. Please get in touch or leave a comment.
Also, sign the petition asking the PM to ban floodlighting of buildings at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Floodlighting/
* Source – The Energy Toolbox website of Victoria, Australia
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July 27th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
Hi Vicky,
I agree that the excessive lighting submitted by shops especially in cities is wasting a ridiculous amount of energy and it is affecting wildlife. The lights distract and disorientate animals especially nocturnal creatures such as bats which subsequently are also suffering from declining numbers due to a loss of habitat.
Nocturnal creatures such as bats rest during sunlight hours in dark conditions such as holes in trees and also roofs of houses (behind fascia boards). Bats only come out to feed after sunset when the light intensity outside reaches a critical level. Thus if bats roost within buildings in a city, and the lights from shops are lit at night it will delay the bats from leaving their roost and will shorten the amount of time they have to find food – a lack of food will result in bats dying – thus a decline in numbers.
We need to protect all forms of wildlife from pollution, loss of habitats and even extreme weather (the torrential rain and flooding is affecting wildlife). You can help by supporting conservation organisations such as the Wildlife Trust and of course lobbying your MP’s for change.
With regards to the energy efficient side of outdoor lighting (including shops and floodlighting), I stopped using my ‘security’ lighting about a year ago and it has saved a significant amount of electric. I thought that I may be unsafe with no light going off when a potential burglar came to my house, but I have been fine.
Digressing from the lighting I would be interested to hear peoples views about outdoor heaters which many pubs use or will start using to ensure that smokers are kept warm outside.
November 20th, 2007 at 10:14 am
Hi Gals,
Have a look at my web site http://www.lightpollution.org.uk )
and learn about the “hidden” effects of light pollution. We are perhaps on a downward slope and it may well be just too late to restore the natural balance in our environment. You may learn something which will reinforce your green proclivities?
All the very best for your blog.
November 26th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Thanks Graham, I will check your site out. I was going to start doing more with the light poluttion campaign in the New Year (have lots of other campaigns that I am involved with at the moment)
November 27th, 2007 at 8:10 am
Congratulations on a very progressive web-site I would just like to reinforce Graham’s comments by saying that light pollution in all its forms is very insidious, having hidden effects on the environment that are not always apparent. Apart from the obvious destruction of the night sky, it is now well established that it is highly destructive to wildlife, killing off insects in large numbers with concomitant effects on higher order consumers. Our common species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals and spiders have declined over the past forty or fifty years and this has correlated negatively with the expansion of street, commercial, security and decorative lighting over the same period.
The energy waste is appalling and this must be a major contributory factor in global warming and climate change. All this has to be paid for, and the money spent on excessive municipal lighting would be better spent on health, education and welfare.