Light pollution is perceived by many countries to be a happy problem. Much like how the invention of the light bulb was viewed as a breakthrough in modern technology, the flooding of bright lights amidst a dark sky is applauded as a milestone in economic development. Yet, things are rapidly changing amidst the emergence of long-term ecological impacts associated with artificial light overuse.
So, how does light pollution harm wildlife? The answer lies in the occurrence of skyglow, a phenomenon where artificial light projected into the sky is reflected by atmospheric matter, creating a bright halo (Ngarambe, Lim and Kim, 2018). As skyglow creates the illusion of a daytime-like sky, it can disrupt the migratory and feeding patterns of many wildlife species, particularly birds and bats as they are drawn to light (Chepesiuk, 2009). More worryingly, skyglow does not only affect wildlife in the immediate region where light pollution is produced, but can spread to nearly 64 kilometres away. This reinforces the growing severity of light pollution, and the pressing need to regulate it at the Olympic Games where artificial light use is widespread.
The occurrence of skyglow has significantly altered the migratory patterns of nocturnal birds, leading to high frequencies of collisions into light-emitting skyscrapers (Masterson, 2018)
While studies on the impact of Olympic light pollution on wildlife behaviour are limited as such behaviour is shaped by many environmental factors, it remains fair to argue that the Olympic Games have adverse ecological impacts. Shortly after the extravagant 2012 London Olympic Games were held, the protected Myotis lucifugus and Eptesicus fuscus bat species faced drastic population declines between 41 to 96% (Stone, Harris and Jones, 2015). This was attributed to the bats’ increased exposure to artificial light, which caused them to abandon their roosts and face predation (Stone, Harris and Jones, 2015). Similarly, the Turdus merula species of birds in England showed no signs of reproductive activity after being exposed to nighttime light, as they were under chronic stress (Dominoni, Quetting and Partecke, 2013). Therefore, while other factors such as noise and temperature could also have contributed to such phenomena, the role of sky glow — and the rapid increase in brightly-lit breeding grounds — is undeniable.
This does not mean that all hope is lost for wildlife and we will see skyfall, however. Certain host countries, such as China, have taken steps to mitigate light pollution at the Olympic Games. At the recent 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, nighttime construction work near the biodiversity-rich Yanqing area was restricted to prevent illumination of natural habitats (Beijing 2022, n.d.). While such measures appear insignificant, they nonetheless help in reducing ecological damage caused by light pollution, and this constitutes a crucial first step in protecting wildlife species. More importantly, the intangible nature of light pollution makes it challenging to quantify the (potentially horrifying) extent of impacts, which reinforces the need to curb light pollution — and its associated impacts — as much as possible.
References
Beijing 2022. (n.d.). Beijing 2022 Pre-Games Sustainability Report [Press release]. https://stillmed.olympics.com/media/Documents/Olympic-Games/Beijing-2022/Sustainability/Beijing-2022-Pre-Games-Sustainability-Report.pdf
Chepesiuk, R. (2009). Missing the dark: health effects of light pollution. Environmental Health Perspectives, 117(1). https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.117-a20
Dominoni, D. M., Quetting, M., & Partecke, J. (2013). Long-term effects of chronic light pollution on seasonal functions of European blackbirds (Turdus merula). PLoS One, 8(12), e85069. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0085069
Masterson, A. (2018). Birds yearn for the bright lights of cities [Online image]. Cosmos Magazine. https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/birds/birds-yearn-for-the-bright-lights-of-cities/
Ngarambe, J., Lim, H. S., & Kim, G. (2018). Light pollution: is there an environmental Kuznets curve?. Sustainable cities and society, 42, 337-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2018.07.018
Stone, E. L., Harris, S., & Jones, G. (2015). Impacts of artificial lighting on bats: a review of challenges and solutions. Mammalian Biology, 80(3), 213-219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2015.02.004
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