It is widely recognized that a major factor contributing to the distress of residents in modern cities is the light pollution. This phenomenon can be explained by the history of human’s evolution and the urbanization. Thereby, installing advanced lights and prioritizing lights on vital areas are the remedies, which may minimize this issue.
The most plausible reason for the distress caused by light pollution is the evolutionary instinct. Looking back thousands of years, human beings feared the darkness, which restricted them from hunting creatures for food. Therefore, fire, which became a vital tool, assisted them to have a better sight for hunting and protecting themselves. This necessity, eventually, became deeply ingrained in our genes, formed our behavior with darkness. Another reason to consider is the urbanization, to maintain the industrial pace, factories and industries require constant lighting for production. Not only do the entertainment industries need lights for attracting audience, infrastructure expansions lead also to an over-reliance on low-quality street lighting .
To tackle this escalating problem, an effective measure against light pollution is the modernization of the street lighting systems. By implementing directional lighting, the light beam is focused on the targeted area, preventing light trespass into surrounding environments. Not only does this approach restore the natural night sky but it also enhances energy efficiency and mitigates wasted illumination. In addition, businesses play a crucial role to mitigate this issue by deactivating non-essential and advertising billboards after working hours. Simultaneously, companies should consider installing motion-sensor lighting in buildings and parking lots to ensure that illumination is only provided when necessary, supplying sufficient visibility for the residents’ safety while significantly conserving the electrical energy.
In conclusion, light pollution is mainly driven by the human evolutionary traits and the rapid pace in industrial development. In order to alleviate this problem, governments and local authorities should take action in upgrading the public lighting infrastructure. Furthermore, businesses and companies should pay attention to adjusting and managing the activation of advertising billboards. (326 words)