Today’s Solutions: November 14, 2024

Positive side effects of the pandemic have included rebounding animal populations and decreased emissions. It turns out, the night sky also got a little darker during lockdowns. Just in time for International Dark Sky Week, The Countryside Charity (CPRE) released a report detailing how light pollution decreased an average of 10 percent in 2020. 

CPRE relied on input from star-spotting volunteers for their research. 61 percent of volunteers in a 2019 star count said they could only see 10 or fewer stars above their heads, indicating severe light pollution, but in 2020, this number dropped off 51 percent. 

Light pollution may seem harmless, but it severely impacts animal populations which use light clues to hunt, breed, and migrate. Light pollution upends the sleep schedules of nocturnal animals, disrupts the breeding cycles of sea turtles, and confuses migratory birds. Not to mention it affects human sleep cycles as well. 

Hoping to continue this light-lowering trend, CPRE encourages everyone to turn off lights not in use, especially at night and invest in red, yellow, and amber-colored lights which create less severe light pollution. 

For more information on reducing light pollution and celebrating the stars, check out our article on International Dark Sky Week, which is happening right now!

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Two Black women to serve together in the United States Senate in a historic f...

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM For the first time in American history, two Black women will serve together in the Senate. Angela Alsobrooks, ...

Read More

Resilient community-building: staying safe in times of uncertainty

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY TEAM Recent global and domestic developments have left many feminists and allies feeling uneasy, uncertain about their place in society, ...

Read More

3 lifestyle hacks to help you become a little happier

There is no one path to finding happiness, but there are some lifestyle changes you can make to become more receptive to happiness. Without ...

Read More

For the first time ever, Greece meets energy demands with 100% renewables

The other week, Greece celebrated an exciting milestone! All of the country’s electricity needs were met by renewable energy for the first time, as ...

Read More