KEY POINTS:
The article on light pollution ("Las Vegas steals the stars") in last week's Weekend Herald highlights a strange anomaly in today's energy- and environmentally-conscious society.
It's quite simple - why is the developed world continuing to waste so much money and energy on beaming light into outer space?
Sure, all the glittering lights make the planet look pretty if you happen to be in orbit or on a commercial flight. But, alas, not many of us get the chance to visit the International Space Station. In reality, light pollution is a total waste of energy and money and creates unnecessary carbon emissions.
I'd much rather conserve the energy by directing light down on to the streets where it's needed and reduce carbon emissions and my ratepayer bills at the same time. And, as the article so clearly pointed out, if we reduce light pollution there's a massive free bonus - the stars come out again and give us genuine sparkly lights in our velvety night skies.
The design of traditional street lights means they tend to waste energy by scattering light generously in all directions. They enable light to escape upwards (creating an orange glow in the sky) and sideways (generating glare - which is particularly annoying if it is shining through your bedroom window all night).
In contrast, modern, environmentally friendly street lights tend to use full cut-off fixtures that target the light only where it's needed - downwards - meaning they use smaller wattage bulbs, therefore consuming less power and costing less to run.
About four out of five New Zealanders live in an urban environment so it's a bit ironic that we have the Southern Cross on our national flag when most of us are hard-pressed to see it from our backyards.
The orange haze of light pollution that hangs over our cities obscures all but a handful of the brightest stars. Viewing the night sky isn't an option any more, even if you're interested.
The UN estimates over 3.3 billion people (half of the world's population) already live in cities and this could become as many as 5 billion by 2030. All these city-dwellers who never get out of town, either through choice or circumstances, are missing out on one of nature's free treats - a truly spectacular starry night sky.
Even worse, we're paying good money to generate and waste the energy that obliterates this visual treasure with light pollution.
Most people want to do their bit to save the environment but it has to be made simple and convenient - and preferably cheap - to get everyone behind it. A good example was the call a few years ago to boycott aerosol cans containing CFCs that were destroying the ozone hole - they were gone before lunchtime.
But enforced legislation that directly affects our lifestyle can produce the opposite effect, as demonstrated by the recent proposals around energy-saving household light bulbs and low-pressure shower heads which probably cost the previous Government the election.
So rather than trying to use something as difficult and remote as the Emissions Trading Scheme to set an environmental world precedent, maybe we should look at something a bit less complex in 2009. Something as simple as smartening up our country's street lighting systems over the next decade or so could reduce the cost and amount of our national energy consumption and save on our carbon emissions as well.
Now that would be an environmental world precedent. One that could be understood and literally seen by everyone.
This year is a particularly appropriate year for action because Unesco and the International Astronomical Union have declared 2009 to be the International Year of Astronomy and 135 countries around the world are participating - including New Zealand.
There will be a huge global focus on dark night skies and light pollution because one of the specific global projects is Dark Skies Awareness.
More people around the world are becoming aware of light pollution and its destructive effect on the environment, with organisations such as the International Dark-Sky Association working to raise awareness and protect our natural night skies.
Here in New Zealand, the Waitakere City Council and Modus Lighting recently hosted a forum entitled Advancing New Zealand's Street Lighting Technologies, which was funded by the Electricity Commission. More than 120 people attended from the Electricity Commission, Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority, several local authorities, tertiary institutions and the NZ Standards Association as well as the lighting industry, consultants and installers.
Valiant efforts are also being made to have the MacKenzie Basin declared a starlight reserve, one that Unesco will recognise as a World Heritage Dark Sky Park. The Queenstown Lakes District Council recently won an award from the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand for its "Wanaka Waterfront" lighting system. The Ports of Auckland has already changed its lighting system, resulting in an estimated 15 per cent reduction in energy consumption and a huge reduction in glare.
Curbing light pollution is a win-win-win situation as it improves the environment, conserves energy and reduces costs. Will New Zealand seize the opportunity to set a new kind of environmental world precedent in 2009 and lead the world back to the black?
* Rebecca Greatrex is a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Dark Skies Group.
