This article is about light pollution in the visible spectrum. For pollution in the radio spectrum, see radio spectrum pollution. For other uses, see Light pollution (disambiguation).
Light pollution over Melbourne, Australia
Part of a series on
Pollution
Air pollution from a factory
Air
Air quality index
Atmospheric dispersion modeling
Chlorofluorocarbon
Combustion
Exhaust gas
Haze
Global dimming
Global distillation
Indoor air quality
Ozone depletion
Particulates
Persistent organic pollutant
Smog
Soot
Volatile organic compound
Waste
Biological
Biological hazard
Genetic
Introduced species
Invasive species
Digital
Information
Electromagnetic
Light
Ecological
Overillumination
Radio spectrum
Natural
Ozone
Radium and radon in the environment
Volcanic ash
Wildfire
Noise
Transportation
Marine mammals and sonar
Noise control
Radiation
Actinides
Bioremediation
Depleted uranium
Nuclear fission
Nuclear fallout
Plutonium
Poisoning
Radioactivity
Uranium
Radioactive waste
Soil
Agricultural
Land degradation
Bioremediation
Defecation
Electrical resistance heating
Soil guideline values
Phytoremediation
Solid waste
Advertising mail
Biodegradable waste
Brown waste
Electronic waste
Foam food container
Food waste
Green waste
Hazardous waste
Industrial waste
Litter
Mining
Municipal solid waste
Nanomaterials
Plastic
Packaging waste
Post-consumer waste
Waste management
Space
Space debris
Thermal
Urban heat island
Visual
Air travel
Advertising clutter
Overhead power lines
Traffic signs
Vandalism
War
Chemical warfare
Herbicidal warfare
Agent Orange
Nuclear holocaust
Nuclear fallout
Nuclear famine
Nuclear winter
Scorched earth
Unexploded ordnance
War and environmental law
Water
Agricultural wastewater
Biosolids
Diseases
Eutrophication
Firewater
Freshwater
Groundwater
Hypoxia
Industrial wastewater
Marine
Monitoring
Nonpoint source
Nutrient
Ocean acidification
Oil spill
Pharmaceuticals
Freshwater salinization
Septic tanks
Sewage
Shipping
Sludge
Stagnation
Sulfur water
Surface runoff
Turbidity
Urban runoff
Water quality
Wastewater
Topics
History
Pollutants
Heavy metals
Paint
Misc
Area source
Debris
Dust
Garbology
Legacy
Midden
Point source
Waste
Lists
Diseases
Law by country
Most polluted cities
Least polluted cities by PM2.5
Treaties
Categories
By country
Environment portal
Ecology portal
v
t
e
Light pollution is the presence of any unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive artificial lighting.[1][2] In a descriptive sense, the term light pollution refers to the effects of any poorly implemented lighting sources, during the day or night. Light pollution can be understood not only as a phenomenon resulting from a specific source or kind of pollution, but also as a contributor to the wider, collective impact of various sources of pollution.[3]
Although this type of pollution can exist throughout the day, its effects are magnified during the night with the contrast of the sky's darkness. It has been estimated that 83 percent of the world's people live under light-polluted skies and that 23 percent of the world's land area is affected by skyglow.[4][5]
The area affected by artificial illumination continues to increase.[6]
A major side-effect of urbanization, light pollution is blamed for compromising health, disrupting ecosystems, and spoiling aesthetic environments. Studies show that urban areas are more at risk.[7] Exaggerated amounts of electricity is necessary in order to further support largely urbanized countries, like the United states.[8] Globally, it has increased by at least 49% from 1992 to 2017.[9]
Light pollution is caused by inefficient or unnecessary use of artificial light. Specific categories of light pollution include light trespass, over-illumination, glare, light clutter, and skyglow. A single offending light source often falls into more than one of these categories.[10][11]
Solutions to light pollution are often easy steps like adjusting light fixtures or using more appropriate light bulbs. Further remediation can be done with more efforts to educate the public in order to push legislative change.[12] However, because it is a man made phenomenon, addressing its impacts on humans and the environment has political, social, and economic considerations.
^"Light Pollution". International Dark-Sky Association. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
^Kyba, Christopher C. M.; Kuester, Theres; Sánchez de Miguel, Alejandro; Baugh, Kimberly; Jechow, Andreas; Hölker, Franz; Bennie, Jonathan; Elvidge, Christopher D.; Gaston, Kevin J.; Guanter, Luis (November 2017). "Artificially lit surface of Earth at night increasing in radiance and extent". Science Advances. 3 (11): e1701528. Bibcode:2017SciA....3E1528K. doi:10.1126/sciadv.1701528. PMC 5699900. PMID 29181445.
^Han, Pengpeng; Huang, Jinliang; Li, Rendong; Wang, Lihui; Hu, Yanxia; Wang, Jiuling; Huang, Wei (16 June 2014). "Monitoring Trends in Light Pollution in China Based on Nighttime Satellite Imagery". Remote Sensing. 6 (6): 5541–5558. Bibcode:2014RemS....6.5541H. doi:10.3390/rs6065541. ISSN 2072-4292.
^"Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
^Sánchez de Miguel, Alejandro; Bennie, Jonathan; Rosenfeld, Emma; Dzurjak, Simon; Gaston, Kevin J. (January 2021). "First Estimation of Global Trends in Nocturnal Power Emissions Reveals Acceleration of Light Pollution". Remote Sensing. 13 (16): 3311. Bibcode:2021RemS...13.3311S. doi:10.3390/rs13163311. hdl:10261/255323. ISSN 2072-4292.
^Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Zielińska-Dabkowska, Karolina M.; Xavia, Kyra; Bobkowska, Katarzyna (2020). "Assessment of Citizens' Actions against Light Pollution with Guidelines for Future Initiatives". Sustainability. 12 (12): 4997. doi:10.3390/su12124997.
Lightpollution is the presence of any unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive artificial lighting. In a descriptive sense, the term lightpollution refers...
or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally...
Ecological lightpollution is the effect of artificial light on individual organisms and on the structure of ecosystems as a whole. The effect that artificial...
Lightpollution is the presence of unwanted artificial light that brightens the night sky. Improperly shielded lights are the source of many of the issues...
Pollution in China is one aspect of the broader topic of environmental issues in China. Various forms of pollution have increased as China has industrialised...
time. Lightpollution is a growing problem in reaction to excess light being given off by numerous signs, houses, and buildings. Polluting light is often...
street lighting Lighting-up time Lightpollution List of light sources Solar street light Street furniture Street light interference Chalfin, Aaron; Hansen...
traced to distinct, sometimes overlapping areas: lightpollution and spatial disturbance. Lightpollution is a major issue for nocturnal species, and the...
of lightpollution that burdens astronomers and others with 80% of the world's population living in areas with night time lightpollution. Light pollution...
A point source of pollution is a single identifiable source of air, water, thermal, noise or lightpollution. A point source has negligible extent, distinguishing...
The glow provided by artificial lighting is sometimes referred to as lightpollution because it can interfere with observational astronomy and ecosystems...
diffuses light. The fact that the sky is not completely dark at night is easily visible. If light sources (e.g. the Moon and lightpollution) were removed...
environmental levels of light and consequently to lightpollution. A growing number of studies investigating the effects of artificial light at night on fireflies...
lightpollution. Even a few hundred kilometers away from a metropolitan area where the sky can appear to be very dark, it is still the residual light...
search for partners. A 2014 study highlighted that minimal levels of lightpollution can disrupt the mating behaviors of male L. noctiluca, as they struggle...
can fly in the sky. Due to human activities, smog during the day and lightpollution during the night are often seen above large cities. The word sky comes...
heat or light. Pollutants, the components of pollution, can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants. Pollution is often...
of light waves that describes the orientation of their oscillations. Polarized lightpollution is a subset of the various forms of lightpollution referring...
astronomy. Visibility of celestial objects in the night sky is affected by lightpollution. The presence of the Moon in the night sky has historically hindered...
Polarized lightpollution is perhaps the most compelling and well-documented cue triggering ecological traps. Orientation to polarized sources of light is the...
The Centennial Light is an incandescent light bulb, recognized as the oldest known continuously operating light bulb. It was first illuminated in 1901...
Research indicates that living in areas of high pollution has serious long term health effects. Living in these areas during childhood and adolescence...
Radio spectrum pollution is the straying of waves in the radio and electromagnetic spectrums outside their allocations that cause problems for some activities...
Global Information
