Do you really need all those lights?
If you knew what they could do to insects and other animals, you’d think twice, says David Smith of Buglife in the UK
If I told people about Artificial Light At Night (ALAN), light pollution, and their effects on bugs, insects and/or invertebrates, I’d probably get laughed at – I just know it.
I already get ridiculed for loving my dogs way too much (among other things), so I can just imagine their reactions.
But so what, hmmm?
“People are often surprised by the amount of evidence that shows light as a pollutant impacting both biodiversity and people,” says David Smith, the social change and advocacy officer of Buglife in the UK.
“This includes those who are working on the issue of light pollution but from other sectors, and even some from the environment sector. When people start to realise that it is a form of pollution, they quickly start to understand why it might be such an issue.”
Here we go
Yes, I’m featuring Buglife again, and for good reason: I first learnt about light pollution from them, and I just couldn’t get it out of my head. (You can check out the post here.)
If you’re new to ALAN, light pollution, and their effects on invertebrates, here’s a quick introduction and a few highlights on the issue from David.
“The first thing I like to talk about is that humans have been altering the natural day/night cycle since we started to manipulate fire,” he says.
“This altering of a natural process makes light one of the very first pollutants. The rapid speed with which we have lit the world following technological advances has been too quick for other species, which have taken years to evolve with day and night.
“The consequences are only now starting to be understood, and it is particularly significant for invertebrates,” he adds. “Studies suggest that a third of insects attracted to light sources will die. Caterpillar populations decline by 52 per cent in areas with streetlights; nocturnal pollinator visits to flowers by 62 per cent in some areas.
“Studies suggest that a third of insects attracted to light sources will die.”
“But it isn’t just insects, birds, bats and hedgehogs – even plants have been shown to be impacted by artificial light.”
I don’t know about you
But this information is enough to convince me that we need to do something. Anything. And actually, we can.
“I believe we have sufficient evidence to act,” David says.
“Light is easy and cheap to clean up while still allowing us to partake in night-time activities safely. I expect we will continue to see similar evidence emerge, just on more and more species as well as humans.
“As we start to move forward, and more action is taken to reduce the impacts of light pollution, I hope to see evidence of positive change and biodiversity bouncing back. When we start to see this, I think greater numbers will follow.”
Since almost anyone can probably commit to using a minimum number of lights and switching them off when not needed, this prediction isn’t far-fetched. “Altering our habits with lighting is so easy, especially when you consider some of the bigger changes we are encouraged to make for the environment,” he stresses.
“Vanity lighting, such as garden lights on trees, hedges and meadows really frustrate me. The lights that stay on when no one is looking! These should be the first step in reducing light pollution.”
Just think
What would happen, and how would you feel as an animal lover, if an animal or a species does not survive because of a problem that could have easily been solved?
Not good, I’m pretty sure.
In the course of David’s work, he cites the Blue Tit as one of his favourite nocturnal or nocturnally active creatures – and it happens to be one that’s terribly affected by light pollution, together with the Winter Moth.
“I am very aware that it is a bird and not a bug! But to me it explains the issue really well, and I really like birds!”
It’s okay – we understand. You will too, once you hear their story.
“A Blue Tit’s favoured food is the caterpillar of the Winter Moth. This is a species that is active throughout the winter months, hence the name,” he begins.
“The female is wingless so it attracts its mate by climbing a tree and releasing a pheromone. The male then flies in, mates, and flies off. The female will lay the eggs on the tree, and then the caterpillar will spend most of its life on the tree until it becomes an adult moth. The Blue Tit visits the tree and picks off caterpillars to feed its young (a single brood can consume 100,000 caterpillars!).”
Unfortunately, we have a part to play in this tale. And it’s not a good one.
“The issue of light pollution here comes when we light a tree. Often used in gardens or in public to create an atmosphere, etc, the impacts can be really significant for not only the moths but for the Blue Tit as well,” David tells us.
“The female Winter Moth climbs the tree at night. If we light a tree, this creates a permanent daylight for the moth, and so the chances of reproduction are dramatically reduced. Combined with the fact that artificial lights can change moths’ behaviour – you will have heard of the phrase ‘like a moth to a flame’ – males also struggle to carry out their natural behaviour.
“So by using light to change the natural surroundings, we potentially wipe out a population of moths – and a food store for the Blue Tit!
“The story tends to resonate with the public as they might not be interested in insects, but there is a good chance they regularly see garden birds,” David concludes.
Where do we sign up?
“There really hasn’t been too many public projects to address light pollution to date, particularly beyond creating Dark Skies for the benefit of astronomers,” David observes. Sigh.
“However, there are some great initiatives out there to consider the night sky, such as CPRE’s Annual Star Count, which provides a great record of citizen science data about how many stars in Orion they can see – the fewer the stars, the more light pollution.”
So don’t fret just yet. “Elsewhere in the world we see some great campaigns, particularly in the US, where they are turning off or reducing the lighting of skyscrapers to prevent migrating bird strikes,” he points out.
“What we want to see now, though, is a greater uptake of social change so that these initiatives aren’t just restricted to data capture or specific locations. This is the next step in my work in reducing the impacts of light pollution on invertebrates – so watch this space!”
In the meantime
We can still make a difference. David, for one, is optimistic. Here we have his hopes, observations and goals:
#1 For people to treat light pollution the same as other forms of pollution
“We need politicians, the industry and the public to make changes to our use of light to ensure we relieve the world from this environmental pressure. In a world of eco anxiety, addressing light pollution is relatively easy and small changes can have a big effect.”
#2 For us to rethink how we see light – and lighting
“The biggest issue I think we face is the consideration of light as an emerging pollutant. That means it is being treated as a possible cause of impact on the environment, yet there is now a significant and ever-growing body of evidence to suggest otherwise,” David explains.
“We don’t believe that all lights should be turned off; instead, we think that better lighting, and better use of light, will help solve the issues of light pollution while maintaining (and perhaps even improving) safety and security.”
#3 For us to band together
“My partner probably suffers the most – whenever we are out during the night, I am constantly pointing out bad examples of lighting and talking about the importance of darkness for nature,” he admits, when asked about how being involved in this issue has changed him, as well as the way he sees things, people, life and work.
“But I am also excited to be working on an issue that I am confident we can solve,” he continues.
“Light pollution has been widely overlooked, but there is a growing movement to see it addressed and it is something we can fix, benefiting not just the planet but also individuals.
“There are so many environmental issues that need addressing, it can become overwhelming. But I am hopeful that if individuals focus on the low hanging fruit, we can start making strides towards a better planet.”
On a positive note
It’s nice to hear people be so passionate about bugs, insects and invertebrates. How does David see them?
“I have always been interested in the natural world, but hadn’t really been involved with insects until I started working for Buglife,” he says.
“I have, however, often used insects as a way to communicate the small changes we can make as individuals to create immediate positive impact.”
For example: “If you can grow a few wildflowers, leave part of your garden a bit ‘scruffy’, or even just let the spider in the corner of your room go about its life, you are making a difference to the natural world.
“Sometimes we lose sight of the small impacts that can benefit nature while focusing on huge conservation projects, which unfortunately not everyone can be involved in,” he muses.
“While access to nature is unfair and unbalanced, we all live with insects, and if we can get everyone to appreciate these small things, then we should help create a better world.”
You can’t laugh or make light of that.
Find Buglife’s campaign on light pollution here. They’re also on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.