Why is it so difficult to see stars in Singapore? 

Light pollution affects 80% of the globe, and has intensified in the past century given technological advances and the fast-paced globalised century we live in, where economic and social ventures do not pause even at night. It is not surprising then, that Singapore, a global hub, ranks first in light pollution (Panko, 2016) (Figure 1). Here, light pollution refers to “the inappropriate or excessive use of artificial light” (Drake, 2019), as defined by the International Dark-Sky Association (Figure 2). 

 

Figures 1 and 2: Light Pollution (Source: National Geographic)

 

In many countries, including Singapore, light is seen as a proxy for development, reflective of the nightscape many of us picture when we imagine major global cities. 

 

Figures 3 and 4: The Nightscapes of Shanghai, Singapore and New York City respectively (Source: Unsplash) 

 

Edelson (2017) argues that illuminated nightscapes have become a criteria upon which global cities compete for world recognition. The ‘LED-ification’ of major world buildings, such as the Empire State Building, tie the city’s nightscape to ideas such as full maximisation of a buildings energy and power even at night, artistry and theatrical design that incites intrigue and excitement, and new vibrant visual identity. Such ideas and branding can be powerful as seen by New York City’s age old nickname – ‘the city that never sleeps’, placing the city on the economic and social capital world map. Singapore has also embraced such economic and social ventures linked to the lighting up of night through the following developments (Koh, 2018):

 

1. Brightly lit streets at night – The Land Transport Authority actively maintains the over 95, 000 streetlights, lighting of bus stops, linkways and road crossings. 
2. The Rejuvenation of the Central Business District – In a bid to create new public spaces, street lighting of the CBD and Civic District was to be increased, bringing life and vibrancy back into the ghost town that it becomes at night. 
3. Night Events and Activities – The launch of many leisure activities that primarily take place at night, including the Singapore Night Festival and the i Light Singapore art installations. 

 

The vibrant nightscape that Singapore has developed over the years, answers the questions of why many Singaporeans grow up without seeing many stars in the sky. It is now more relevant than ever to begin to question, beyond the value of green spaces in Singapore, should equal importance be placed on conserving “dark spaces”? 

Chepesiuk (2009) argues that light pollution has numerous health and environmental effects that drive the need to control and regulate excessive lighting. For the former, exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts the natural 24-hour day to night cycle (circadian clock), thereby affecting critical processes such as hormone production, brain wave patterns, and cell regulation that are tied to this natural rhythm. This can lead to a slew of medical disorders including cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer, insomnia, mood disorders and delayed sleep-phase syndrome. Such a condition such as delayed sleep-phase syndrome, referring to the condition whereby one sleeps very late at night and experiences difficulty in waking up for day engagements, is extremely alarming as many do not realise they experience it due to its prevalence in society today and lack of awareness surrounding it.

For environmental impacts, Chepesiuk (2009) documents how light pollution affects flora and tree species from adjusting to variations in season and temperature accurately, and can negatively change the migratory and breeding cycles, general behaviours, foraging and hatching areas for turtles, birds, reptiles and insects. Prominently, tens of thousands of migratory birds are killed annually in New York City, killed crashing into high-rise buildings after blinded by bright ALAN. When one considers such a number multiplied across major cities worldwide that likely experience the same situations, and once again multiplied for the foreseeable future, such a statistic is extremely alarming in regards to long term ecological impact. Perhaps once and for all, it is time we switch off some lights. 

 

Author: Madeleine Shutler

 

References 

Chepesiuk, R. (2009). Missing the Dark: Health Effects of Light Pollution. Environmental Health Perspectives, 117(1), A20-A27. doi:10.1289/ehp.117-a20 

Drake, N. (2019, April 3). Our nights are getting brighter, and Earth is paying the price. Retrieved from 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/04/nights-are-getting-brighter-earth-paying-the -price-light-pollution-dark-skies/ 

Edelson, Z. (2017, November 06). How LEDs Will Make Or Break The Skylines Of Global Cities – Architizer Journal. Retrieved July 18, 2020, from https://architizer.com/blog/practice/details/how-leds-will-make-or-break-the-skylines-of-global-cities/ 

Koh, M. (2018, February 26). Light Pollution in Singapore – Is Public Lighting a Boon or Bane? Retrieved July 18, 2020, from 

https://thateconstutor.com/2018/02/20/light-pollution-singapore-public-lighting-boon-bane/ 

Panko, B. (2016, June 10). Nighttime light pollution covers nearly 80% of the globe.