Light Pollution, All About Its Effects!
Uploaded by alexaylen on Oct 29, 2001
Some people might think its the opposite of heavy pollution! But NO, Light Pollution is man made light that falls outside the area of intended lighting. Some examples are a street light that shines in your yard or your bedroom window and a billboard light that over shines the sign.
Light pollution is the broad, glowing,dome of light we see over metropolitan areas, sports arenas, parking lots, or industrial complexes. It can also be a neighbor's backyard light shining into your bedroom window throughout the night. Basically, light pollution is any unwanted, annoying, or unproductive light spewing into the night environment.
Light energy is wasted on street light, security light, billboard, or building lights. You notice that much of the light is not hitting the area that needs the lighting. Look down a long road in or near the city. Every light source you can see is wasting energy. and you can see the light source, that fixture is not directing that light where it is needed, therefore that light is being wasted.
Light pollution is becoming an increasing problem now because of population growth.
We think that this is not a problem but If you thought about it about cramming thousands of these wasteful lighting practices in urban and suburban areas, and it equals an enormous waste of energy, unnecessary environmental impact, it may improve safety and security, and just looks bad and ugly.
It takes electricity to produce light. Up to 50% of the light produced by street lights do not fall on the intended area and are wasted. The wasted light is spread over a wide area and even above the horizon.
Any light source or sources of light which are grouped that let out bright light, which distresses other humans is the cause of light pollution.
We use fossil fuels and nuclear reactors to produce most of our electricity. Unfortunately these methods of producing energy are not friendly to our environment. Burning coal and oil emits carbon dioxide and sulfur compounds into our air. Carbon dioxide is a green house gas that adds to the global warming problem.
Sulfur compounds dissolve in water that is in the clouds and produce acid rain. Nuclear reactors produce radioactive waste which is difficult and expensive to dispose of safely. Direct light entering your eyes from these inefficient lighting fixtures produces glare. Glare makes it more difficult to see, especially when driving in...