Sky & Telescope - January 2024 - 32

Light Pollution: Policy
tion and task the EPA with writing rules regulating its use.
Absent an act of Congress, the executive branch could take
the lead. In 2020, DarkSky International published a letter to
the incoming Biden Administration that included a suggested
executive order to ensure that outdoor lighting on all federal
properties complies with basic dark-sky principles. Specific
federal agencies with responsibility for infrastructure, such as
the Department of Transportation, could make similar rules
for the nation's highways.
The international community may well arrive at these
policy goals before the U.S. does. Besides the ongoing " Dark
and Quiet Skies " initiative at the U.N. Committee on the
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, an effort is under way to add
reducing light pollution to the agenda of the U.N. Development
Programme's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The proposed SDG18 ( " Sky Quality and Access to Starlight " )
would formalize the idea of a right to starlight. Others have
suggested that new legal interpretations, such as " Earth jurisprudence "
and the " rights of nature, " may be required to fully
affect these changes.
Getting Involved
The history of social movements, whether for civil rights,
environmental protection, or to achieve other goals, lends
support for the old adage that " slow and steady wins the
race. " Light pollution is definitely having a moment, as it is
increasingly recognized by governments, mass media, and the
public. In many respects, it seems as though it is approaching
the critical mass at which enough people not only know
about the problem but also begin to demand solutions.
Everyone can do something that moves us toward this goal
in meaningful ways.
First, get the facts. DarkSky International is a widely
Online Resources
* DarkSky International: darksky.org
* DarkSky report " Artificial Light at Night:
State of the Science 2023 " :
zenodo.org/record/8071915
* American Astronomical Society, " Information on
Light Pollution, Radio Interference, and Space
Debris " : aas.org/about/governance/light
* International Astronomical Union, " Controlling
Light Pollution " : iau.org/public/themes/
light_pollution
* Astronomical Society of the Pacific, " Dark Skies
and Light Pollution: A Resource Guide " :
https://is.gd/asp_darkskies
* Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. " Light
Pollution Abatement " : rasc.ca/lpa
respected and trusted source of factual information about
light pollution and dark skies. For example, it publishes an
annual " State of the Science " report that summarizes the
very latest research results in understandable, non-technical
language. DarkSky International offers a wealth of advice on
outdoor lighting practices and policies. The information can
be easily shared with friends, neighbors, and elected officials.
And in the belief that there is strength in numbers, the
organization connects like-minded people and organizations
around the world.
In the world of successful social movements, visibility is
key. In addition to learning and sharing reliable information
about light pollution, anyone can become engaged in issue
advocacy. Speak up at meetings of your local city or town
council during the call to the audience. Write a letter to the
editor of a newspaper, magazine, or website. Post about light
pollution and dark skies on social media. Offer to give presentations
to community groups and in schools. Staff a table
at events. The more the public hears about these issues, the
more it gradually becomes sensitized to both the problem and
its solutions. Groups like DarkSky International, the American
Astronomical Society, and the International Astronomical
Union offer resources that can help.
We also urgently need more information about how light
pollution is changing the night sky, both in and near cities
as well as in more rural areas. Amateur astronomers and
the broader public alike are making important efforts to
meet this need through citizen-science programs like Globe
at Night. Estimates of night-sky brightness that users have
contributed to this program have resulted in peer-reviewed
scientific publications, giving us our best and most comprehensive
global view of skyglow to date. Purpose-built
night-sky brightness monitors are now inexpensive and easy
to operate, enabling users to make long-term records of
light-pollution impacts almost anywhere in the world. These
data can be used to help direct mitigation efforts on local
to regional scales and inform public-policy decisions about
outdoor lighting regulation. Monitors placed in ecologically
sensitive areas also aid land managers in pursuing effective
conservation strategies.
Nathaniel Parker Willis's innumerable stars are still up
and shining in order, although they are increasingly obscured
by our cities. One might ask which will we choose: our light,
or starlight? But this is a false choice. The question is not an
either/or. Dark skies and a secure nocturnal environment
can exist alongside robust economies and safe communities,
but that coexistence hinges critically on changing the human
relationship to artificial light at night.
The means to turn the tide are in our hands. Will ours be
the generation that does it?
¢ JOHN BARENTINE is an astronomer, historian, author, science
communicator, and dark-sky consultant. JESSICA HEIM
is a cultural astronomer whose work focuses on the intersection
of culture with Earth, sky, and space environments.
32 JANUARY 2024 * SKY & TELESCOPE
http://www.darksky.org http://www.zenodo.org/record/8071915 http://www.aas.org/about/governance/light http://www.iau.org/public/themes/ https://www.is.gd/asp_darkskies http://www.rasc.ca/lpa
Sky & Telescope - January 2024

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