It’s not just an energy problem either.
Dustin Partridge, director of conservation and science at New York City Audubon, told AFP that New York City lies on a bird migration route known as the Atlantic Flyway, where millions of people pass each year.
Artificial light attracts birds to the city. During the day, they hit buildings as they catch reflections of attractive vegetation in the jungle of glass and concrete, while at night they fly into illuminated windows.
βIn New York, we have about a quarter million birds killed every year because of collisions,β Partridge said, noting Climate Week is in the midst of fall migration.
The seeds these birds spread are vital to the health of the ecosystem, absorbing carbon all the way from Canada, where they began their journey, to their destinations in South America.
“You can go out in the evening in New York City and see a simple solution to protecting biodiversity and helping in the fight against climate change,” Partridge said.
This is to say nothing of the effects of light pollution on stargazing β which is why the IDA was founded in the first place.
“Light that has been traveling millions of light years is being absorbed and hidden in the last nanosecond, and what a huge loss that is to society,” Hartley said.