When we think of pollution, we think of air pollution, water pollution, or solid waste pollution. One that doesn’t come as quickly to mind is light pollution. Although stories about light pollution doesn’t draw as many clicks as the other forms of pollution, it’s still a serious topic that deserves discussion.

Now, when we go outside at night and look up at the sky, we can see a few stars. However, the night sky isn’t supposed to look so empty. If you were to walk outside a century ago, you would be able to see the Milky Way Galaxy arch across the night sky in all its glory. However, as we advance forward our cities and artificial night lights, we start to lose the true picture of the sky.

Nowadays, we have to camp out in the wilderness for a chance to see the sky at such beauty. But besides the beauty of a night without light, light pollution has some serious drawbacks as well. Artificial light affects the ecosystem, mainly nocturnal animals. Christopher Kyba, a research scientist, states, “the introduction of artificial light probably represents the most drastic change human beings have made to their environment.” He goes on to explain how amphibians engage in a behavior called nighttime croaking, which is a breeding ritual. By disrupting the darkness, we have inadvertently interfered with these animals’ reproductive cycle and altered populations.

Furthermore, baby turtles can actually die from light pollution. When baby turtles hatch from their eggs, light from the shore (tourist shops, hotels, etc) can confuse them, causing disorientation and making them wander inland, where they die from dehydration or predation. Normally, the moonlight reflections from the water act as a guiding beacon for these baby turtles, but now they don’t know where to go because light is coming from many directions.

On top of affecting animal life, light pollution is also wastes energy. We’re taught to turn off the lights when we leave a room in order to save energy, but of course there are times when we simply leave the light on. This is just a small example, but energy waste is actually a huge problem in the US: according to the International Dark-Sky Association, at least 30-percent of all outdoor lighting in the United States alone is wasted. Fortunately, new technologies are coming out that conserve energy, such as LEDs and compact fluorescents that reduce energy use. We can also do our part by turning off lights when we leave the room, turning off the sink when not using it, and many other small things that add up to make a huge impact.