Today’s Solutions: November 22, 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

This Canadian didn’t want to fly from Germany to Canada—so he took a cargo ship

When Will Vibert’s European work visa was closing in on its expiration date, the Canadian was reluctant to travel back to Vancouver via plane. ...

Read More

Simple movement is connected to better brain health in older adults

It goes without saying that practicing regular exercise offers plentiful benefits for our overall health, but as we age, engaging in the same exercise ...

Read More

Passive cooling techniques reduce AC strain by up to 80 percent

In the summer months, many of us are of two minds: we’re dying to keep it cool, but we’re also dying not to spend ...

Read More

Making windows bird-friendly: a crash course on protecting our feathered friends

In 1990, Michael Mesure was on the way to a wildlife rehabilitation center. Among his passengers was a common yellowthroat, a colorful warbler that ...

Read More