Light Pollution

by August S.
Published February 23, 2024

Light Pollution is a big issue in Austin, and it might even affect your daily life. Light pollution is when there is too much or the wrong kinds of light at night, making it harder to see stars; this can also negatively impact your health. The light from the moon towers is a significant cause of light pollution, and your room lights may also cause it. The light gets stuck, bouncing off the Earth and the particles in the sky, making a cage.

Light pollution damages many things. It can mess with nocturnal animals by making them think it is day when it is not. They run out of energy, searching for food when there is none. The light could also attract and kill bugs, which affects not only the bugs but also animals that eat the bugs, like bats. The depletion of bats is a problem because Austin has the most bats out of all cities. The increased light exposure messes with the daily cycle and might cause breast cancer, diabetes, or even obesity. Light pollution may negatively affect a lot of things.

We can help light pollution in many ways. One way we can help light pollution is by closing our blinds at night; although it might not seem like a lot of light in your room, it may still disturb a creature. You could also use warmer light colors or turn them off entirely. Another thing that helps is checking if your porch lights are on (if you have a porch), and if they are, turn off or shield them. Some cities start a "dark sky" community, in which the lights have to be off at a certain time. There are lots of ways to help light pollution.