Consequence of Artificial Light
Our world is an ever changing place, in the last 100 years we have seen more technological advances than ever in the preceding years of history. We have built computers, gone to the moon, developed x-rays, microwaves, telephones, and the incandescent light. A seemingly small invention, the light has forever placed its mark not only on the human race, but on the earth itself. In pictures taken from space, we can see that much of the world is lit 24 hours a day, which begs the question: is that much light good for us? It is not an easy question to answer, but in this essay, I hope to examine some of the history that has brought us to the situation that we are in as well as some of the possible solutions to try and cope with a world that has become addicted to never-ending light.
As our knowledge of the world grows, so too does our understanding of the health hazards that excessive light during the night can bring to the human body, and this understanding has led to many interesting discoveries. The search for medical understanding that too much light in the dark hours is poor for health was begun by astronomers who were dismayed at the growing loss of darkness in the night sky, but has quickly grown to include, medical researchers, city planners as well as average people in the community that are unhappy with the excessive amount of light that is prevalent today. One of the major discoveries that have been made in recent history is the finding of a photo receptor that sets circadian rhythms1. Cryptochrome is a protein that is sensitive to blue light, and it is theorized that in the morning and evenings, when blue light is most prevalent, this protein helps humans adjust their internal...
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...roduce into our lives and culture, the more problems begin to arise, it is time that some major steps need to be taken to help stop this problem, and I hope that some of the solutions outlined above will be a good start.
References:
1:http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/1998-11/BU-TBSS-231198.php
2:http://www.peerless-lighting.com/p20_body.htm
3:http://library8.municode.com/gateway.dll/RI/rhode%20island/875?
f=templates&fn=default.htm&npusername=11458&nppassword=MCC&npac_credentialspresent
=true&vid=default
4:http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/pollprev/lighting/outdoor.htm
5:http://www.turtles.org/threats.htm
6:http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/NightLights.html
7:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?holding=f1000&cmd=Retrieve&db=P
ubMed&list_uids=12495746&dopt=Abstract
8:http://www.darksky.org/infoshts/is012.html
When was the last time you really looked up at the stars? Have you forgotten they were there, or has light pollution blinded us? This is a problem that has been going on for a while now, and its getting worse. People only hear about the major pollutions, like water and air. They do not realize or never heard about light pollution and its effect on the planet. The media only talk about how global warming is killing our animals, but do not talk about how light pollution is killing us. “Our Vanishing Night”, written by Verlyn Klinkenborg, a graduate from Pomona College with a PhD from Princeton University, explains how light pollution is effecting worldwide. “News’n’More”, “O Stars, Where Are You? , is and article which agrees with Klinkenborg. Both articles agree the light pollution is effecting our environment and harming our beloved species.
From what I have learned so far, it appears that contemporary society has responded to the legacies of historical globalization, yet it hasn’t done quite enough to satisfy the concerned and affected. I would have to disagree with this statement, there are still some problems I believe needing to be addressed. Reasoning I have chosen the position of disagree because although contemporary society has responded to legacies of historical globalization, I think we haven’t done enough yet. Although we have definitely moved away from a Eurocentric perspective, there are definitely some undertones that remain evident in our everyday society across almost all countries. Even today, there are some very strong examples of how contemporary society has chosen racist or discriminatory paths.
...s existed for thousands of years, human beings are still making the same mistakes as they were when the first humans walked the earth. People live and die, empires rise and fall, while human behavior remains the same the entire time. People ought to learn from the mistakes of the past, not forgetting the things that have gone wrong. The great authors of the world have taken advantage of the unalterable human condition, using it to point out the grave errors that the natural behaviors of human beings can lead to. But before humans begin to dwell to such errors, they should remember that the mistakes they have made are not as important as the lessons humans draw from them . . .
In order to address the world’s excessive reliance on artificial light, Paul Bogard uses his skillful and persuasive writing techniques in his piece “Let There Be Dark”. In this article, Bogard talks about the consequences of losing light and the irreplaceable value of darkness. Bogard also talks about how darkness can benefit all forms of life and how heavy reliance on artificial light is slowly killing the much-needed darkness in our world. In order to persuade the reader about this issue of too much light, Bogard effectively builds his argument by using personal anecdotes, statistics, guilt, different research findings, and solutions to absorb the reader into this article.
problems happen today, and they have happened in the past. It is best that we find a way
Circadian rhythms are endogenous and self sustaining in all animals and plants. These rhythms are present in the absence of environment clues such as light, temperature and social clues. In absence of clues, animals free run in constant darkness due to programmed genetic interactions. Some of the genes involve in this processes are Per, Clock and Cry. The expressions of these genes are tightly regulated at molecular level by proteins which bind to promoters and repressors to create a rhythm throughout the day. For example, bmal and clock bind to ebox region to produce cry and mper proteins (Hong and Chong, 2007). These proteins are concentration dependant which means high level binds to repressor region to avoid further transcription. Such oscillations work on close to 24 hour cycle in animals and plants. These processes occur without any environmental clues. In case the environment clues are introduced to animals, they tend to synchronize internal clock with external signals. One such example of synchronization is shown in dorsophilia which increase Tim protein at night and the presence of external light decrease the production of Tim protein. This results into phase delay in dorsophilia (Leuloup and Goldbeter, 2001).
One viable policy proposal that could help to correct our system is by protecting society, realizing that poverty and
Does one ever think of the potential catastrophic harm they’re causing by turning on the lights or by using their cars? Don’t we want a world where our grandchildren and great grandchildren can live safety and comfortably? At the rate were going this will not be possible; we’ve added more than 1.4 trillion tones of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in just two hundred years, and its messing up our planet (Siegel 1).
...or obstacles to our survival as a species.” Climbing our way out of this situation will not be easy, it will require an enormous amount of work. It will require a society to act for the welfare of the future, not just immediate needs.
Finally, every person needs to think about this issue, so we will have a great and successful life in the future.
...ects our education, government, and America as a whole. To solve this problem we can teach children moral values. Moral values are something they can always keep with them. We need to teach them to be themselves but to always remember to work hard and that the world owes you nothing. However your life turns out, you did that to yourself and no one else is responsible for getting you out of a problem.
Anyone can attest to the positive effects of sunlight, but it doesn’t just help the plants grow, it is necessary to us as human beings. Its effects go far beyond just brightening your mood or giving you a beautiful day at the beach. The amount of sun we are exposed to can have profound effects. Sunlight is necessary for good mental health. It keeps our hormones balanced, affects our daily motivation, and changes our perspectives on the different aspects of life all together. Furthermore, it has a dramatic effect on us physically by keeping our immune system at its best and giving our bodies essential vitamins that we could not live without. The main point is sunlight has a direct effect on a person’s mental wellbeing, physical health, and overall quality of life
How does the role of natural light play a huge part on the human health, mood and behavior of humans? Has natural lighting always had a huge impact on these attributes? If that is the case, why is that natural lighting not considered as a principal factor in every design now? Has artificial lighting put natural lighting on the back foot in every design ? These are some of the questions this paper addresses and tries to understand the role of natural light from the past and how that has evolved into the present.
In conclusion, the impact of the mentioned problems can be reduced by raising wariness and educating people. Ordinary people are one of the elements in the solution of these people as they can as they can affect the success of any solution. In addition, encouraging the public to help each other in tacking these problems would lead to a fraternal and cooperative society. There is a national concern toward these problems. Therefore, tackling the roots of these issues should be on the government’s priorities.
Earth Hour is an annual international event, organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). This event actually asked us to think about what else we could be doing to make a difference to save our Earth. Countries that participate will switch off their lights for one hour to display a universal commitment to protect the one thing that unites us the entire planet. Unfortunately, most of us do not notice that this campaign will bring side effects, if we as a citizen participate in this campaign in a wrong way. Hence, the campaigns of Earth Hour has innumerable uses and like all campaigns, it has its drawbacks which encompass negative impact on human activities, enhancing energy reduction as well as releasing emission to the environment and perception of people about Earth Hour.