Why the initiative

Why an organisation?

Why international?

Why protected areas?

The problems are urgent.

Why an organisation?

Light pollution will not be reduced by voluntary work as lack of time and commitment is a likely impediment. Professionals are needed to implement the known solutions. We recommend that these are part of a larger network which offers them opportunities to share experience and best practices, provides them with capacity building opportunities and motivates them.

Why international?

Light travells up to 200 km in the horizontal direction. Light crosses the borders of individual countries and regions, and therefore cooperation is needed. Much artificial skyglow could be avoided by stopping unused waste light from travelling at or just above the horizontal.

Why protected areas?

Protected areas are established and managed with a purpose of protecting and maintaining biological diversity, and natural and associated cultural resources; which must be effectively managed through legal and other means. Light pollution is a threat to the purpose of protected areas. Management of parks is therefore responsible to address it. Protected areas must identify processes that threaten their conservationist activities and must promote environmentally sound means to reduce them.

The problems are urgent

–    Over the last decades, the degree and intensity of light pollution has been growing exponentially and is still increasing every year by around 5-8%, depending on the country.

–    Once outdoor lighting is installed its removal is unlikely. As it is the case with environmental problems generally, preventative action is preferable also when dealing with light pollution.

–    No international agreement is in place to oblige countries to reduce solely light pollution; individual action depends on the forward-thinking attitude.

–    Light pollution is one of the rare reversable environmental problems. A positive action in the field would boost the confidence of the citizens in the ability to solve environmental problems.