LIGHT POLLUTION is now among
the most chronic environmental
perturbations on Earth. In 2016
scientists estimated that 99 percent
of the continental United States
and Europe suffer some amount of
light pollution.
Their study found that a third
of humankind—including nearly
80 percent of North Americans—
cannot see the Milky Way. And data
from the Suomi NPP satellite sug-
gest that worldwide, light pollution
increased by roughly 2 percent a
year from 2012 to 2016.
All lights, but especially LEDs,
are to blame. Because they’re much
more energy-efficient than incan-
descent and CFL bulbs, LED lights
are left on for longer periods, casting
cheap light in all directions.
Lack of darkness can affect any
animal whose biology depends on cir-
cadian rhythms—including us, says
Amanda Gormley of the International
Dark Sky Association. “We lose a part
of ourselves when we lose access to
the night sky.” —NADIA DRAKEARTIFICIAL LIGHTSOUR NIGHTS
ARE GETTING
BRIGHTER
DARK SKIES ARE
INCREASINGLY RARE,
AND THAT COMES
WITH HIDDEN COSTS.GLOBAL WARMING
ALLERGIES ARE
ON THE RISE
If you don’t have
springtime aller-
gies, you might
soon. And if you
already do, they
might get worse.
The 2018 U.S.
National Climate
Assessment
cautions that
allergic illnesses
like asthma and
hay fever are likely
to afflict more
people amid
climate change.
Warmer tempera-
tures and earlier
springs combine
to spur plants to
release more pol-
len over a longer
season to irritate
your nose, throat,
and eyes. —DS
Flowers produce pollen, but
so do trees, grass, and weeds.
Because pollen is fine, it’s
easily picked up by wind and
lodged in nasal passages.
microplastic particles
per liter of Arctic sea iceMore than10,000
Plastics have colonized even
Earth’s pristine environments.
Researchers found that polar
waters and ice have the
highest concentrations of
ocean-based microplastics
on the planet. Plastic waste is
expected to quadruple in the
next 30 years. —DS25