Illuminating investments: capitalising on the battle against light pollution

An understandable bugbear of urban astronomers and insomniacs, light pollution has other profound impacts that are far more concerning. By ending the delicate balance between night and daylight, light pollution also affects the behaviour of the plants, wildlife, and complex natural systems upon which we all depend.

Beyond disturbing naturally occurring circadian rhythms – the internal biological clock that regulates physiological processes in nearly all living organisms – excessive exposure to light, especially the kind of over-bright blue-white light that is associated with mobile phones, computers, and LEDs, has been shown to contribute to tiredness, headaches, anxiety, and stress².

Light pollution has also been found to have a catastrophic impact on the many animal species that have adapted over millennia to a dark nocturnal environment and for which darkness is an essential factor in their ability to reproduce, feed, migrate, and rest.

The deep impact of artificial lighting

At Lake Stechlin, 100km north of Berlin, scientists from The Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries are investigating the impact of light pollution on ecosystems and food webs by investigating its impact on freshwater zooplankton, an essential indicator species that is highly sensitive to changes in aquatic ecosystems.

Using a combination of high-resolution cameras and AI, the scientists have been able to establish that artificial light interrupts the nocturnal feeding patterns of the zooplankton, a change in behaviour that could lead to collapse in the fish populations that rely on these small, aquatic microorganisms for their food.

If a collapse in zooplankton numbers has the potential to devastate aquatic food chains, light pollution is also having a profound impact on the essential nocturnal pollinators upon which many of our flower and food crops depend.

Investing in the battle against light pollution

While dramatic declines in insect populations are often associated with the use of pesticides and a loss of habitat, light pollution caused by street lighting has also been shown to have a huge effect on aquatic species such as mayflies, whose mating cycles are interrupted when males and females are confused and ensnared by different sources of artificial light.

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As well as impacting ecosystems and species, light pollution also has an effect on climate change. In 2010, a study by scientists from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Colorado’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) revealed that bright lights in urban settings can actually exacerbate pollution by reducing the amount of nitrate radical (NO3++) in the air. A special form of nitrogen oxide that helps to rid the air of pollution under the cover of darkness, nitrate radical is destroyed by light.

Just as the need for more sustainable forms of lighting have led to a revolution in the use of lower energy LEDs, the need to reduce light pollution also presents significant opportunities for investment in new urban infrastructure and product development.

As the International Dark-Sky Association (IDSA) recognises through its various awards, approvals and recognition programmes, awareness, promotion, education, and design each have a central role to play in combating light pollution.

The IDSA not only recognises and celebrates the achievements of groups and individuals who are committed to finding solutions to the issue but also conducts education programmes for lighting designers, manufacturers, technical committees and runs an approval scheme that provides objective, third-party certification for luminaires that minimise glare and light pollution.

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To summarise its strategy for achieving darker skies, the IDSA has identified five principles for responsible outdoor lighting, which are that it should always be: necessary, directed only where needed, of the minimum possible brightness, only on when necessary, and that it should minimise blue-violet light³.

Lighting up smart cities

As part of its bid to become a world leader in smart city solutions, the city of Barcelona has demonstrated the role that lighting design can play in achieving darker skies. The city was an early adopter in 2021 when it started to replace its traditional street lighting with LED-lit, motion-detecting lamp posts that automatically dim to reduce light levels and energy use when the streets are empty.

In July 2023, the City of London finally followed the lead of city authorities in Barcelona, Shenzhen, and Shanghai by introducing a Lighting Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) that includes requirements that will restrict the illumination of buildings in the Square Mile and require developers to submit detailed plans to minimise light pollution as part of their planning applications.

Securing the future of our skies

Issues such as the quest to achieve darker skies encourage us to take stock and to see both nature and our relationship with it in a profoundly different light.

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At Lombard Odier, we believe that nature is the bedrock of our economy: the World Economic Forum estimates that more than 50% of global GDP depends on nature including sectors such as agriculture, heavy industry, real estate, healthcare and tourism.

Despite this, our current economic model is outdated because it not only fails to value nature but it encourages us to regard it as little more than a resource to be exploited.

As towns, cities, and urban areas begin to realise the importance of light pollution, the quest for more sustainable night skies represents a transformative opportunity, not just to strike a vital balance between human development and the needs of nature, but to realise the promise of eco-friendly innovation.

Through our Natural Capital Strategy, Lombard Odier is dedicated to investing in the restorative processes, materials, and companies that will help us secure the future of our species and the planet. Tackling light pollution is a perfect example of our need to transition away from the status quo and rethink nature and investment while moving towards a new economic model that is Circular, Lean, Inclusive and Clean (CLIC^®).

¹ https://news-archive.exeter.ac.uk/homepage/title_877183_en.html
² https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side
³ https://www.darksky.org/our-work/lighting/lighting-principles/

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