How can we fight light pollution, this scourge for biodiversity and human health?

Why fight against light pollution?

Public lighting, commercial signs, parking lots, shop windows, empty offices… nocturnal light pollution is part of our daily lives. Accelerated by the rise of LEDs and urbanization, it is increasing by 10% per year worldwide, according to a study in the journal Science published in January 2023. Not only does it deprive us of observing the stars (only around twenty are visible on average in the city) but it disrupts or even destroys many plant and animal species.

And humans are not left out. Because lighting at night affects our hormonal system, disrupts our sleep and also plays an important role in the appearance of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The challenges of this nuisance are increasingly recognized in the law since the 2018 biodiversity plan and various decrees which provide for compulsory extinctions. But the bans are not always applied, and require citizen vigilance. Each commitment counts to bring to life a luminous sobriety respectful of all living things.