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Introduction

Light pollution can be defined as, “the human made alteration of outdoor light levels from those occurring naturally,” (darksky.org), something that we all have seen and been a part of. In fact, more than eighty percent of the world is affected by light pollution with ninety nine percent of the United States living in areas affected by light pollution. The state of New Jersey has a population of 9.3 million people while the state of New Hampshire has only 1.4 million. The difference in the night sky of these two states are literally “night and day.” New Jersey has nearly nine times as many people as New Hampshire, meaning there are nine times as many lights and nine times as much light pollution. However, how much of the light pollution is due to laws retaining to and regulating light pollution? Light pollution not only has to do with the number of lights being used in an area, but the design and technology of the light itself. Laws and regulations are the keystone of what technology is being used, and the overall light pollution in an area. An example of this is the position of the light fixture, such as a streetlamp. Preventing light pollution can be as simple as keeping the light from being pointed into the sky and using lights that produce minimal blue light. (figure 1). Simple things like this make a big difference, and with laws and regulations regulating technology and light fixtures, light pollution can be greatly reduced. Currently in the United States 19 states including Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia have laws in place to reduce light pollution. This leaves 31 states entrusting light pollution to be regulated on a local level, with town policies, and city ordinances to determine how they want to treat light pollution.

Impact of Light Pollution

The impact of light pollution goes much deeper than taking away our ability to view the stars (sky glow) and blinding us on the highway (glare). From animal migration routes to our own circadian rhythms' light pollution has a broad spectrum of negative effects. There are three main components of light pollution: skyglow, light trespass, and glare. Sky glow is the brightening of the night sky over inhabited areas. Light trespasses are where light shines, where it is not needed or wanted. Finally, glare is the excessive brightness that causes discomfort. “For humans, exposure to bright light at night can interfere with natural circadian rhythms (i.e. 24-hour day/night cycle) by suppressing production of melatonin, the chemical that regulates sleep patterns. Research has linked this disruption to sleep disorders, depression, obesity, breast cancer and more,” (ncsl.org). Humans and animals suffer the same negative effects from light pollution. Animals, however, have unique negative effects from light population such as changes in mating rituals, migration patterns, and a long list of other effects. These effects include disorientation, mistimed activities, predation risk, disrupted behavior, attraction to artificial light, hormonal changes, and sleep disruptions.

From fireflies to sea turtles, hundreds if not thousands of species are affected by light pollution. According to researchers, sea turtles are considered the animal most significantly impacted by light pollution. When a turtles hatchling emerges, they rely on the moon's light to guide them into the ocean where they find safety from birds and other land predators. However, with the additional light from nearby costal developments, disorientation is a very common occurrence with both hatchlings and female adult turtles. “When emerging from their nests, baby sea turtles naturally navigate towards the brightest horizon, which should be the moonlight reflecting on the water. Artificial lights from coastal development can confuse them, causing them to move inland instead of reaching the ocean.” This disorientation causes dehydration, predation, and collisions with cars. It has been a common occurrence for hatchlings in light polluted areas. (See Figure 2) Now in 2024 sea turtles are facing extinction. They are on the Red List of Threatened Species ranging from vulnerable to critically endangered. Sea turtles are only one example of the negative effects of light pollution on wildlife. Fireflies, bats, fish, birds, butterflies, and hundreds of other species of wildlife all suffer similar fates due to light pollution. "Turtles and birds are not the only wildlife affected by artificial nighttime lighting. Frogs have been found to inhibit their mating calls when they are exposed to excessive light at night, reducing their reproductive capacity. The feeding behavior of bats also is altered by artificial light. Researchers have blamed light pollution for declines in populations of North American moths, according to Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting. Almost all small rodents and carnivores, 80% of marsupials, and 20% of primates are nocturnal. ‘We are just now understanding the nocturnality of many creatures,’ says Chad Moore, Night Sky Program manager with the National Park Service. ‘Not protecting the night will destroy the habitat of many animals.’” (Ron Chepesiuk). Light pollution’s impact is more than we can imagine, not only affecting ourselves but the entire natural world.

 New Hampshire Light Pollution

Home to the famous White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire is a special place for millions of people and one that must be protected. New Hampshire has taken many steps to reduce light pollution such as limiting luminaire brightness, considering glare, and encouraging municipalities to adopt regulations. By limiting luminaire brightness luminaires with more than 1800 lumens cannot emit direct light above the horizontal plane. Considering glare means that state funds for outdoor luminaires must consider glare, brightness, and the potential for light trespass. New Hampshire tries to encourage municipalities to adopt regulations and are pushing for newer technology. This technology includes dimmers, motion sensors, timers, switching to LEDs, and shielded light fixtures. All these regulations fall under the Dark Sky Policy. “Several New Hampshire communities have established outdoor lighting ordinances. It is worth noting that many of these ordinances were established more than a decade ago and may benefit from updating. Whether revising existing light ordinances or starting from scratch the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) has a wealth of resources to support community efforts to preserve and restore natural darkness,” (act-nh.org). Despite New Hampshire having multiple laws and regulations in place to help reduce light pollution, many of these laws are outdated and need revising. Along with this these laws only retain state owned buildings and land, not branching out into public sites, and only accounting for a small percentage of light pollution sources. However, New Hampshire has many areas between 1-2 on the Bortles Scale, (Figure 3). A rating that requires very little to almost zero light pollution.

New Jersey Light Pollution

Having a population of 9.3 million people, it is crucial for a state like New Jersey to be aware and regulating their light pollution output. Currently New Jersey lies between an 7-9 on the Bortles Scale, which is currently the highest rating for light pollution, (see Figure 3). To put this into perspective see Figure 4.  However, despite having such a high rating on the Bartles Scale, New Jersey still has multiple local level policies in place to help reduce light pollution. Some of these policies include having nighttime hours, dark sky friendly ordinances, state agency regulations, and regulating outdoor light fixtures. New Jersey towns have adopted ordinances that limit the use of certain outdoor lighting fixtures during nighttime hours, usually between 10PM and sunrise. All these policies help to limit light pollution. However, most if not all these policies are so new not much has been done to help enforce them. “The Sierra Club advocates for well-directed outdoor lighting that points to the ground and dims when there is no traffic. They also support replacing existing streetlamps with intelligent lighting that can adapt to the presence of people and vehicles,” (Sierraclub.org). An amazing idea, however, that's all it is.... an idea. Fighting light pollution in New Jersey is still a new concept and one that has yet to gain traction to make a real difference. Having so much infrastructure and a population of 9.3 million people change is slow and expensive, “Replacing a streetlamp in New Jersey will typically cost between $2,000 and $3,000 on average,” (lightsmart.com) with “New Jersey's PSE&G has over 475,000 streetlights,” (nj.psg.com). To replace all the streetlights in New Jersey with light pollution friendly streetlamps would cost around 1.4 billion dollars.  New Jersey has a long way to go, however traction for being more environmental conscious and limiting light pollution is growing.

Conclusion

From the invention of the light bulb in 1880 came the birth of light pollution. From that point on the world became a brighter place both for the best and for the worst. However, with new research and a constantly evolving understanding of light pollution we are attempting to limit our impact on the environment. Places nearing major cities and large urban areas are of the utmost importance to reduce their light pollution and have a long way to go. Many if not all cities fall between 5 and 9 on the Bortles Scale, completely covering the night sky in light pollution. With other rural places such as New Hampshire being motivated by preserving their rural landscape and natural beauty, reducing light pollution is a higher priority. From sea turtles, insects, to humans' light pollution negatively affects us all whether we realize it or not.

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References

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. (2020). About Lighting Pollution. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. https://myfwc.com/conservation/you-conserve/lighting/pollution/

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

DarkSky. (2024, September 11). What is light pollution? DarkSky International. https://darksky.org/resources/what-is-light-pollution/

Go Astronomy. (2023). Go-Astronomy.com. https://www.go-astronomy.com/dark-sky-parks-stargazing-state.php?State=NH

Schultz, J. (2022a, March 25). States Shut Out Light Pollution. Www.ncsl.org. https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution

Schultz, J. (2022b, March 25). States Shut Out Light Pollution. Www.ncsl.org. https://www.ncsl.org/environment-and-natural-resources/states-shut-out-light-pollution

Sea turtle conservation. (2024, September 11). DarkSky International. https://darksky.org/resources/guides-and-how-tos/sea-turtle-conservation/

Staff. (2020, March 3). Light Pollution Research Shows Humans and Wildlife Can Coexist. DarkSky International. https://darksky.org/news/light-pollution-research-shows-humans-and-wildlife-can-coexist/

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