Light pollution worldwide is increasing faster than ever but why should we care?

Let's face it, there is a good chance you may not have much interest in astronomy and you may not have noticed the orange glow obscuring the night sky before. Perhaps you see other issues as more important than light pollution. If this is you, don't worry, you have come to the right place! This web site has been set up to raise awareness of the impact of light pollution on everyone, not just astronomers, and why we should all be more concerned.

Question - is light pollution an unavoidable or inevitable side-effect of urban development and growth?

It doesn’t have to be; the main cause of light pollution is badly aimed lights. The simple truth is that any poorly designed or misdirected light can shine into the sky rather than onto the ground or object it’s supposed to illuminate contributing to the typically orange haze, that many of us now see at night instead of the stars, called 'sky glow'.

But why should this matter to you?

We are all becoming increasingly concerned about the depletion of natural resources, carbon emissions and increases in fuel and energy prices due to the global economic down-turn. This careless waste of valuable energy is surely unacceptable. Unfortunately, this wasted energy that creates light pollution is costing taxpayers hundreds of millions each year that could be put to better use, your money!

It's costing the earth to light the sky!

Why is so little being done to avoid this waste when it’s so easy to reduce it?

How can you help?

For safety and especially in crime hot spots, we need illumination at night. There is a public misconception that reducing light pollution is all about turning off street and security lights; this is not necessarily the answer. It is not the intention of this campaign to alienate people through fear of darkness and crime. Instead, we can all take three simple steps to reduce it:

On a larger scale, the most effective way to reduce this visible and needless waste is by sharing your concerns with others and encourage them to take the three simple steps outlined above. Public tolerance towards light pollution is simply due to lack of awareness about the issues.

No wonder our tax bills are sky high when much of it ends up there!

Next time you notice the orange glow in the night sky, think about the careless waste of energy it represents and how it robs us of the wonders of the night sky.

The more people are aware of the issues and how to avoid light pollution, the more it will be treated as an issue of real importance. So please spread the word and link people to this page because as they say,