The dark evil of overlighting
Energy expenditure, health problems ... Over-lighting is also responsible for the disappearance of insect species, thus disrupting the entire food chain.
Despite the energy saving recommendations, many municipalities seem to be launching into a bidding for light. To justify this unprecedented push of streetlights, many do not hesitate to put forward purely aesthetic arguments coupled with a concern for security, the effectiveness of which has never been demonstrated… In ten years the number of light points has increased 30% in France, contributing to both the waste of energy and the increase in light pollution. Because the thousands of lamps lit in big cities can be perceived thousands, even tens of thousands of kilometers. While our nights are becoming more and more like days, public artificial lighting causes 37% of the electricity expenditure of municipalities, or € 7,1 per inhabitant per year on average. According to Ademe, 9 million lamps are used to light French cities and countryside, consuming 5,6 terawatt hours (TWh), the equivalent of the annual production of a nuclear reactor.
Disrupted biological clock
The most noticeable consequence of this increase in light sources is the disturbance caused to our sleep. Researchers took a closer look at this subject some ten years ago. They were interested in the influence of the light / dark alternation on the biological rhythm and on the secretion of melatonin. Anti-aging, stabilizer of the tension, maintenance of the libido, brake on the development of the tumors…: the benefits of this hormone, also called “sleep hormone”, would be multiple. However, under the effect of artificial light, the epiphysis (small gland located in the brain) decreases the production of this substance. The Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development mentions, in a bill relating to the Grenelle Environment Forum, that "this prolonged exposure to artificial light" would be responsible for "glare, sleep disturbances and possible factor d incidence of cancer. "
Wildlife in danger
Our nights and our health are not the only ones endangered by this race for public lighting. Many animal species are also disturbed by this artificial light, starting with nocturnal insects and pollinators which become easy prey for their predators. In these species, light pollution is the second cause of death after phytosanitary products. However, the pollination of plants and all the species which depend on these insects for food being affected by it, it is the whole food chain which is ultimately disturbed. Migratory birds that use the stars to guide them are disoriented, while others hit buildings or lighted towers. Light is also a handicap for other nocturnal animals such as bats and certain raptors. Experiments have shown that frogs can no longer differentiate prey from predators. This modification of the day / night alternation destabilizes the biological rhythm of many species, including that of mammals, causing a decline in reproduction, difficulty in eating, increased vulnerability and therefore an increase in mortality. Consequences that prove to be a threat to biodiversity.
A bright idea
In January 2011, the National Association for the Protection of the Sky and the Night Environment (ANPCEN) certified 64 French municipalities which have reduced their light pollution. This free contest, open to all the municipalities of France, aims to promote the quality of the night environment as well as to encourage energy savings and therefore the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the reduction of "Unnecessary public costs. "
Invisible stars
Light pollution is widely denounced by the astronomical community, because it considerably hinders the observation of the sky. Especially since most of the streetlights do not only light the ground but the sky! These luminous halos which progress of approximately 5% per year in Europe mask today the vision of the Milky Way and 90% of the stars in the metropolises. In 1992, in the Bill of Rights for future generations, Unesco devoted a specific section to the law and to the conservation of the sky and its purity.
Projects
• Environment and energy management agency, public establishment.
• Article 36 Grenelle 1 adopted on October 21, 2008
• http://www.developpement-durable.gouv.f ... -de-l.html
Mr. Vanhamme
Source: http://magazines.republicain-lorrain.fr ... irage.html
