Light Pollution – What is it? 

Singapore was named the country with the worst level of light pollution in the world – with a pollution level of 100 per cent in a published Science Advances study. Other countries with similar light pollution levels include Kuwait with 98 per cent and Qatar with 97% per cent (TNP, 2016) 

This is definitely evident for many of us. The dazzling artificial light illuminating the night skies, street lamps lighting up almost every corner of the road. A concrete jungle of buildings filled with fluorescent light is seen everywhere. We are constantly surrounded by bright lights – buildings, corridor lights, streetlights or even our own smart phones) and this light pollution might be detrimental to our health and the environment. 

The picture below displays the satellite image of Singapore at night. Highways and roads are lighted as bright as day. Lights are concentrated in almost every area of Singapore with exception of Central Catchment area. 

 

 

So, what exactly is light pollution? 

According to International Dark-Sky Association, Light pollution is the presence of unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive artificial lighting. Light pollution competes with starlight in the night sky for urban residents, interferes with astronomical observatories and can disrupt ecosystems and result in health effects 

My personal experience 

Recalling my trip to Iceland, I was able to observe a full night sky with stars, when we were headed back from Blue Lagoon. Our guide mentioned that Milky Way Galaxy was observable and even satellite transiting can be seen under scrutiny. It was so surreal. Such a pity that urban dwellers in Singapore would never get to experience.  Light pollution is a serious problem, many of us do not realize the extent of it because we are so used to the convenience of light. In the next blog post, I will be further exploring the effects of Light pollution. 

 

References 

TNP (2016). Singapore has the most light pollution in the world. Retrieved from https://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/singapore-has-most-light-pollution-world 

International Dark Sky Assocation (n.d.). Light Pollution. Retrieved from https://www.darksky.org/light-pollution/