In 2024, International Dark Sky Week, April 2-8, ends with an extraordinary astronomical event passing over a large swath of North America: a total solar eclipse. Many U.S. residents are traveling to locations in the “path of totality” to experience the eclipse. Whether or not you are making such a journey, International Dark Sky Week presents an opportunity to revisit why the campaign to curb light pollution is important—and much misunderstood.
In the United States and Europe, 99% of people live under a light-polluted sky. The damage of artificial light at night goes far beyond blocking our view of the stars and disrupting wildlife migratory patterns. Scientists have linked light pollution to global insect decline, the death of millions of migrating birds, increased carbon emissions, and increased human disease.
The Dark Sky movement, however, has a branding problem. Many people are understandably afraid of darkness. When our eyes have not adjusted to the dark, we cannot see to walk or drive safely, we think lots of artifi cial outdoor light is the answer. Dark Sky advocates merely point out that too much light can be a huge hazard.
