Action on light pollution is long overdue, campaigners will say at a panel event today (3 July) at the National Astronomy Meeting in Cardiff. The panellists call for UK governments and local authorities to put policies in place to restore our view of the skies and to mitigate the impacts of excessive light at night on biodiversity and potentially human health.
Light pollution is rarely far from the minds of astronomers. It originates from urban street lighting, but also poorly regulated sports grounds, commercial and industrial buildings, private housing and entertainment venues.
The most familiar impact of light pollution is skyglow, which is increasing globally by 10% a year, according to research by panellist Dr Chris Kyba of the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam. This is removing access for the majority of the population to an unfettered view of the stars, an integral part of human culture and heritage.
In the UK the charity CPRE tracks observed light pollution through its Star Count, where in February each year volunteer participants count the number of stars in the interior of the winter constellation of Orion. In Wales this shows a clear dichotomy between urban and rural areas, with just 3 or 4 stars reported in the brightest settings and 30 or more visible under dark skies. The majority of the Welsh population (and in the rest of the UK) are unlikely to have ever seen the Milky Way, something our ancestors took for granted.
Alarmingly, there is also increasing evidence of the detrimental impact of artificial night-light on biodiversity, particular nocturnal species, as well as on human health. David Smith of the charity Buglife will join the discussion, as part of the ‘insect apocalypse’ seen across the globe may result from artificial light at night.
Although action at a national level has been slow, there are examples of good practice by local authorities, and a growing number of protected dark sky locations, including the Eryri and Bannau Brycheiniog National Parks, familiar to Panellist Dani Robertson who is Dark Sky Officer for the Prosiect Nos Partnership. Innovative lighting design has a vital part to play too, and panel member Kerem Asfuroglu runs the lighting consultancy Dark Source that works with communities to install systems that minimise pollution.
Event details
Light Pollution: Time to Act
Sir Martin Evans Building
Cardiff University
1.15-2.15 pm, Monday 3 July
Remote access to the session for journalists is available on request.
Media contacts
Dr Robert Massey (session chair)
Royal Astronomical Society
rmassey@ras.ac.uk
Kerem Asfuroglu
Dark Source
kerem@dark-source.com
Dr Chris Kyba
German Research Centre for Geoscience
kyba@gfz-potsdam.de
Dani Robertson
Prosiect Nos Partnership
Dani.Robertson@eryri.llyw.cymru
David Smith
Buglife
david.smith@buglife.org.uk
Further information
“Citizen scientists report global rapid reductions in the visibility of stars from 2011 to 2022”, Kyba C. et al, Science, 2023
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abq7781
CPRE Star Count 2023
https://www.cpre.org.uk/news/only-one-in-20-of-us-can-enjoy-a-starry-sky-star-count-results-find/
Buglife: Light Pollution
https://www.buglife.org.uk/campaigns/light-pollution/
Prosiect Nos Partnership
https://www.discoveryinthedark.wales/project-nos
Dark Source
Notes for editors
The NAM 2023 conference is principally sponsored by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and Cardiff University.
About the Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS, https://ras.ac.uk), founded in 1820, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. The RAS organises scientific meetings, publishes international research and review journals, recognises outstanding achievements by the award of medals and prizes, maintains an extensive library, supports education through grants and outreach activities and represents UK astronomy nationally and internationally. Its more than 4,000 members (Fellows), a third based overseas, include scientific researchers in universities, observatories and laboratories as well as historians of astronomy and others.
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About the Science and Technology Facilities Council
The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is part of UK Research and Innovation – the UK body which works in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government to create the best possible environment for research and innovation to flourish. STFC funds and supports research in particle and nuclear physics, astronomy, gravitational research and astrophysics, and space science and also operates a network of five national laboratories, including the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the Daresbury Laboratory, as well as supporting UK research at a number of international research facilities including CERN, FERMILAB, the ESO telescopes in Chile and many more.
STFC's Astronomy and Space Science programme provides support for a wide range of facilities, research groups and individuals in order to investigate some of the highest priority questions in astrophysics, cosmology and solar system science. STFC's astronomy and space science programme is delivered through grant funding for research activities, and also through support of technical activities at STFC's UK Astronomy Technology Centre and RAL Space at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. STFC also supports UK astronomy through the international European Southern Observatory and the Square Kilometre Array Organisation.
Visit https://stfc.ukri.org/ for more information.
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About Cardiff University
Cardiff University is recognised in independent government assessments as one of Britain’s leading teaching and research universities and is a member of the Russell Group - the UK’s most research intensive universities. The 2021 Research Excellence Framework found 90% of the University’s research to be world-leading or internationally excellent. Among its academic staff are two Nobel Laureates, including the winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Medicine, Professor Sir Martin Evans. Founded by Royal Charter in 1883, today the University combines impressive modern facilities and a dynamic approach to teaching and research. The University’s breadth of expertise encompasses: the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences; and the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering. Its University institutes bring together academics from a range of disciplines to tackle some of the challenges facing society, the economy, and the environment. More at www.cardiff.ac.uk