A recent Harvard Magazine feature makes a case familiar to anyone who treasures our Olympic Peninsula and Salish Sea night skies: darkness isn’t a problem to be solved, it’s a resource worth protecting. The article notes that 99 percent of Americans now live under skies dimmed by light pollution, with research suggesting skies are brightening by roughly 10 percent per year. The consequences reach well beyond stargazing: studies have linked artificial light at night to sleep disruption and other human health risks, while wildlife (from sea turtles to insects) falls into evolutionary traps set by lights that evolution never prepared them for. Notably, the researchers and advocates interviewed push back on a common assumption here in our own communities: that more lighting means more safety. The evidence doesn’t support a link between brighter nights and less crime. harvardmagazine
The encouraging news is that most light pollution comes not from necessity but from habit: unshielded fixtures, lights left on where and when no one needs them. That means the solution can start at home, on our own porches and in our own local codes. We encourage you to read the full article at Harvard Magazine, and to explore the five principles for responsible outdoor lighting at DarkSky International.
photo credit: Deer Park Night Sky by Linda Kahananui