What are the causes of light pollution?

Answer 1

Use of too much artificial light and having the lighting aimed up into the sky where it does no good for anyone. It is also called pollution when it shines any place anyone does not want it, such as flooding over wide areas onto other people's property and shining into the windows of their houses. It is a result of too many people, too much wasted energy, and improper installation.

It can be improved by shielding the outdoor lighting to prevent upward light rays (as easy as painting the tops of light globes black or installing shields made for the purpose). Good neighbors will be sure their lighting is not leaving their property either up or out and will ask the electric company installing the lighting to use appropriate shields.

Many people believe that having a lot of light at night improves their security and prevents vandalism. This has been proven to be a misconception.

Don't listen to the utility companies when they try to sell you giant night lights to protect you, or even put them up for free...why do you think they do that? To sell you more wasted energy is why.

What it does is provide lighting for trespassers and thieves to see what they are doing better. It also allows shadows to be created for them to hide in. I'd much rather they not be able to see where they are going well, so they trip over things and make noise for me to know they are lurking.

There have been studies that tested whether added lighting at vandalized locations at night prevented the continued vandalizing. It, instead, has proven to increase that...vandals like to see their dirty deeds and want others to see them do it, too. When lights at night in some Texas school systems were turned off, they had significant reductions in vandalism of the school property.

Answer:

An indirect cause of light pollution is the need for visibility at night, for reasons of safety. The direct cause is the solution to this problem: man-made lights.

Answer:

Much of the light pollution problem (at least for astronomers where the "waste" light obscures their viewing of the sky) is the poor design of city light. Many existing city street lights direct a portion of their light skyward where it serves no purpose. Some cities (like Calgary) are installing more purposeful light sources with reflectors to keep the skies dark. To keep the astronomers happy and the streets better lit (to aid the citizens and detract from criminal activities).

A second form of light pollution, interestingly enough, impacts mink breeders. The sex of minks determines the value of their pelts (males are better). However the sex ratio in litters is impacted by the quality of light in the breeding areas. Some cities have installed bluish lights on roads near mink farms. This color of light predisposes mink females to have female kits. Mink farmers often advocate for yellow or pinkish lights near their farms. In this case the cause of the light pollution is economic and a desire for better use of the lights for humans to make driving safer.

Answer 2

Light pollution and air pollution are not the same thing, however light pollution indirectly adds to air pollution.

The majority of light pollution's source is the over use of and the incorrectly directed or installed artificial light bulbs. The International Dark Sky Association points out that if the bulbs were shielded (so that one, from the side, can not see the light's source) and directed downwards, then most of the light pollution could be solved. Instead, poorly installed lights point their light outwards and even upwards into the sky. If a light's owner installed the light to illuminate a property and the light was pointed outwards, then the light energy that does not land on the property is wasted, which can easily be over 50% of the energy consumed, depending on the way the light is installed. The owner may even decide to get a higher wattage bulb, if they feel that this does not illuminate their property sufficiently.

A large percentage of electrical energy is created by the burning of fossil fuels. This burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases plus other pollutants. So with ever greater inefficiencies of light's management, i.e. light pollution, comes an ever greater amount of pollutants into the air to create the light pollution.

Answer 3

Many people think that light pollution is just a problem for astronomers. They think that since they don't own a telescope, they are unaffected by the problem. This is simply not true. Light pollution is a problem that affects us all. Typically, people are not even aware of it. But, that doesn't reduce its affect one bit.

Light pollution wastes incredible sums of money nation wide. While the cost to the typical homeowner might be in the $150-250 range per year the cost to the nation is approaching $10 billion annually. This is an absurdly large amount of money to waste. Diseases could be studied, the hungry could be fed, our nations children could be better educated.

Light pollution wastes incredible amounts of energy, energy that our nation simply does not have. It is largely for this reason that young men and women in our military risk their lives in the Middle East. They protect our access to energy. The very least we can do is use it wisely.

Light pollution pollutes our environment. By wasting electricity, we force our utility companies to consume more energy and therefore emit more toxins into the environment. How many of you have, or know someone who has a lung ailment. Many respiratory problems are caused by or intensified by these airborne toxins.There are a number of factors which may increase the chances of developing asthma. High on their list was exposure to environmental pollutants.

Light pollution itself is a threat to human health. Recent studies by the nations medical researchers indicate that light at night interferes with our body's immune system.

Light pollution is a threat to wildlife. It's true. Many types of wildlife are simply unable to cope with such disruption of their nighttime environments.HTTP/www.utahskies.org/lightpollution

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080210001250AAnrnPl

Answer 4

If you're an astronomer, light from Earth surface sources bounces off the underside of clouds and particles - dust - in the atmosphere back down into the optics of any surface telescope, competing and mixing with the light coming in from faraway stars, making them harder to see.

If you're an animal - like a recently hatched sea turtle - trying to find your way into the ocean by heading towards the moon, the glare of street light can lead you in the wrong direction.

Answer 5

Too many people. Especially those using lights that shine up or onto other people's living space.