A quiet environmental revolution is taking place in Canada, initiated by astronomers. It has been building in momentum for 10 years and is getting a boost from the International Year of Astronomy, which is being celebrated in 2009. It's the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's Dark Sky Preserve Program, and it's changing the way we view our nighttime environment.
This may surprise many people. Indeed, they may question the very validity of the term “light pollution.” Yet anecdotal reports, scientific research and old-fashioned common sense support this notion. Going to bed early and turning off the lights are two ways to improve your health. Urban lifestyles are difficult to make healthy, but there are ways to start this process elsewhere.
Dark sky preserves are being established with the co-operation of provincial and national parks, a program grounded in frustration over the loss of prime dark skies and observatories due to light pollution. The program is promoting the protection of Canada's best dark sites and improving those that have already been affected. It is making Canada an international leader in the protection of wildlife that depends on dark nights.
This summer, the program has resulted in the designation of two federal parks as new dark sky preserves: Kouchibouguac National Park in eastern New Brunswick (239 square kilometres) and the Bruce Peninsula/Fathom Five parks on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay in Ontario (267 square km). These are the most recent of nine dark sky designations that began with the protection of the Torrance Barrens, north of Toronto, 10 years ago.
Artificial lighting has been found to affect animal behaviour and biochemistry, including that of humans. In scotobiology, the study of darkness, we have learned how animals and humans make use of dark periods. They cue our bodies to perform repairs after a strenuous day. Without a dark period of several hours in the early part of the night, these repairs are aborted or become less effective, affecting our physical and mental well-being.
Although people generally believe that light enhances security, European and U.S. studies have reported no significant connection between the two. Light provides only a feeling of security.
Efforts to reduce air and water pollution has cost us billions of dollars in recent decades, but by comparison, light pollution has simple, inexpensive fixes.
For example, national parks are installing low-wattage, full cut-off light fixtures to prevent or contain glare in specific areas – even a single unshielded light will prevent animals and humans from visually adapting to the lower illumination levels.
They are setting curfews to limit the extent and duration of lighting and power usage. They are also starting to replace illuminated signs with retroreflective signs, and replace asphalt with lighter coloured pathways so as to use less artificial light. And yellow “bug lights” are preferred to white coloured light, which tends to entrap insects and birds.
Cottagers are also incorporating lighting in their land stewardship practices when they adopt the lighting guidelines of Parks Canada and the Royal Astronomical Society. Simple techniques such as shielding fixtures, trading white lights for low-wattage amber bulbs, and turning them off at bedtime can significantly reduce their impact. Cities can also benefit from reviewing these techniques, and adopting the ones that are most appropriate for urban areas.
Robert Dick is chair of the light pollution abatement committee at the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and author of Parks Canada's outdoor lighting guidelines.
