By Kayla Phan
Staff Writer
Every holiday season, Temple City comes alive with blinding lights and decorations, celebrating the festive spirit. Lights on TC is one of our biggest events of the year, using hundreds of lights to illuminate the streets. However, lights such as these contribute significantly to light pollution, with negative effects on wildlife, ecosystems and even human health.
Photopollution, or light pollution, is any unwanted or excessive artificial lighting that disrupts the natural balance of light in an environment. While it may not be as widely recognized as air, water and land pollution, it still affects a large majority of people.
According to DarkSky International, “more than 80% of the world’s population lives under light polluted skies. In the United States, 99% of the public can’t experience a natural night.”
Artificial lighting affects humans in subtle but significant ways. It can disrupt our sleep cycles by suppressing melatonin production, which is used for hormone regulation and sleep disorders. Emerging research also shows long-term risks.
In a 2023 paper by the journal of the American Aging Association, “there is an increasing number of research underlining the complexity of the correlation between light pollution and Alzheimer’s disease.”
Here in TC, there’s a large amount of wildlife. Many species rely on Earth’s daily cycle of day and night. Photopollution disrupts these patterns, impacting reproduction, nourishment, sleep and protection from predators.
Birds, for instance, play a crucial role in pest control and seed dispersal, helping maintain healthy plants and gardens in our community. Bright skies may disrupt their migration patterns and can upset the balance of our local environment.
Similarly, pollinators like moths, which are active at night, play a significant role in supporting local plant life, including the flowers and trees we enjoy in parks and neighborhoods.
With our holiday decorations and lights, the pollution gets even worse. According to NASA, the increase of light pollution seen from space increases between 20% and 50% during the holiday season. As our city’s residents string up lights and decorations, few stop to wonder about the damage they’re doing to the environment and what they’re contributing to.
There are several ways to stop contributing to this influx of light pollution. It’s easy to find and use warm-toned, shielded LEDs that reduce glare. At nighttime, turn off the decorative lights at a certain time to both reduce pollution and conserve electricity. It’s also possible to advocate for community initiatives, such as “Dark Christmas” nights where everyone in Temple City would turn off their lights.
By taking these small but meaningful steps, we can celebrate the holidays responsibly while preserving our natural night skies for future generations.