FUTURE BRIEF: Light Pollution: Mitigation measures for environmental protection – Issue 28

Light pollution is the presence of artificial light in the night sky that harms the environment and human health. This artificial light at night (ALAN) has increased over time due to industrialisation, urbanisation, and population growth. ALAN has a number of negative impacts on the environment, including disrupting ecosystems, interfering with wildlife behaviour and migration patterns, and obscuring our view of the night sky. It can also have a negative impact on human health, such as sleep deprivation, fatigue, headaches, stress, and anxiety.

This brief will introduce various mitigation measures that can be implemented to protect the environment from light pollution. It will also provide essential background knowledge on the types of light pollution, their impacts on wildlife and ecosystems, and ways to measure light pollution. A range of inspirational case studies of successful use of mitigation measures to reduce the negative impacts of ALAN on biodiversity will be provided.

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