Sustainable Lighting and Light Pollution: A Critical Issue for the Present Generation, a Challenge to the Future
LAPLACE UMR 5213 CNRS-INPT-UT3, Université de Toulouse, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse, CEDEX 9, France
Sustainability 2020, 12(11), 4552; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114552
Received: 19 May 2020 / Accepted: 29 May 2020 / Published: 3 June 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Lighting and Light Pollution - A Special Issue in Memory of Dr. Thomas Posch and Dr. Abraham Haim)
Human beings’ poor night vision and primitive fear of the dark are reflected in an imperative need to use artificial light to illuminate their environment. Outdoor illumination undoubtedly contributes to the enhancement of practical opportunities for social and economic developments. Considered as a necessity, a means of security, and an attraction or valorization, city lighting growth has been literally exponential in the last half century. Beyond the financial and energy resources that it absorbs, the artificial lighting of urban spaces overflows its objective by polluting our nights to the point that, in our modern megacities, the stars disappear. Apart from the fact that stars are no longer visible, the scientific community is increasingly interested in the direct and indirect impacts of artificial lighting on biodiversity. In parallel, some studies have shown recently that stray light may have direct or indirect effects on human health and mood. The scope of this Special Issue, dedicated to the memory of Prof. Abraham Haim and Dr. Thomas Posch, is to put together a series of high-level papers treating light pollution in a holistic manner that goes from technological advances to policies, passing through impacts on biotopes and human health. Beyond its evident scientific interest, this Special Issue is also contributing to awareness raising, aimed at decision- and policy-makers.
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Keywords:
light pollution measurement and modelling; light pollution impact on fauna and flora; light pollution impact on human health; policies to prevent/limit light pollution and territorial management; best practices for street lighting with low impact on light pollution; smart lighting and light pollution
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Zissis, G. Sustainable Lighting and Light Pollution: A Critical Issue for the Present Generation, a Challenge to the Future. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4552.
AMA Style
Zissis G. Sustainable Lighting and Light Pollution: A Critical Issue for the Present Generation, a Challenge to the Future. Sustainability. 2020; 12(11):4552.
Chicago/Turabian StyleZissis, Georges. 2020. "Sustainable Lighting and Light Pollution: A Critical Issue for the Present Generation, a Challenge to the Future" Sustainability 12, no. 11: 4552.
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