Light Pollution and Climate Change: A Dual Approach to Sustainability

• Landon Prokopinski

  Princia and University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dhaka, Bangladesh

  Author

• Aswita Kode

  Princia and University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dhaka, Bangladesh

  Author

• Ajmain Adiyan

  Princia and University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dhaka, Bangladesh

  Author

• Sanjith Sowrirajan

  Princia and University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dhaka, Bangladesh

  Author

• Marcellino Melika

  Princia and University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dhaka, Bangladesh

  Author

• Rushil Kukreja

  Princia and University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dhaka, Bangladesh

  Author

Light pollution and climate change are two pressing environmental issues that threaten the long-term sustainability of our planet. While these issues are typically addressed as separate concerns, there is a growing recognition of the connections between these challenges, which calls for a combined approach to ensure meaningful progress. This policy paper examines the link between light pollution and climate change, exploring the common causes, impacts, and potential synergies in addressing both. Some of the solutions this paper addresses are energy efficient LED lights and light shields, both of which can help limit excess light pollution while helping to reduce carbon emissions. By tackling these issues together, policymakers can create more impactful strategies for promoting environmental sustainability.

1. Audubon Society. (n.d.). Lights out Program. Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/our- work/cities-and-towns/lights-out.

2. Blask, D. E., Dauchy, R. T., Dauchy, E. M., Mao, L., Hill, S. M., Greene, M. W., Belancio, V. P., Sauer, L. A., & Davidson, L. (2014). Light exposure at night disrupts host/cancer circadian regulatory dynamics: impact on the Warburg effect, lipid signaling and tumor growth prevention. PloS one, 9 (8), e102776. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.010277

3. Brown, T. M. (2020). Melanopic illuminance defines the magnitude of human circadian light responses under a wide range of conditions. Journal of Pineal Research, 69 (e12655). https://doi.org/10.1111/jpi.12655

4. Budryk, Z (2024). Here’s what new LED lightbulb standards mean for Amer- ican households. The Hill. https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4597982- led-lightbulb-efficiency-rule-savings-american-households/

5. Castaneda Aguilar, R. A., Jolliffe, D. M., Fujs, T., Lakner, C., & Prydz, E. B. (2019). 85% of Africans live on less than $5.50 per day. https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/85-africans-live-less-550-day

6. Chepesiuk R. (2009). Missing the dark: health effects of light pollution. Envi- ronmental health perspectives, 117 (1), A20–A27. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.117-a20

7. Cho, Y., Ryu, S. H., Lee, B. R., Kim, K. H., Lee, E., & Choi, J. (2015). Effects of artificial light at night on human health: A literature review of observational and experimental studies applied to exposure assessment. Chronobiology international, 32 (9), 1294–1310. https://doi.org/10.3109/07420528.2015.1073158.

8. Citylab Insights and Northeast Group. (2022). The benefits of LED and smart street lighting. https://northeast-group.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/CityLab-Northeast-Group-the-benefits-of-led-and-smart-street lighting.pdf?form=MG0AV3.

9. City of Tucson. (2016). Investment Grade Audit City of Tucson LED Lighting Conversion Project. https://www.tucsonaz.gov/files/sharedassets/public/v/1/government/departmen and-mobility/documents/01.22.16 cotiga report final.pdf.

10. Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). (2024). Off-grid so- lar market trends report 2024: Outlook. World Bank Group. https://www.esmap.org/Off- GridSolarM arketT rendsReport2024.

11. Falchi, F., Cinzano, P., Elvidge, C. D., Keith, D. M., and Haim, A. (2011). Lim- iting the impact of light pollution on human health, environment, and stellar visibility. Journal of Environmental Management, 92(10), 2714-2722. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti

12. Gonzalez-Torres, M., Bertoldi, P., Castellazzi, L., & Perez-Lombard, L. (2023). Review of EU product energy efficiency policies: What have we achieved in 40 years? Journal of Cleaner Production, 421, 138442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138442

13. Gooley, J. J., Chamberlain, K., Smith, K. A., Khalsa, S. B., Rajaratnam, S. M., Van Reen, E., Zeitzer, J. M., Czeisler, C. A., & Lockley, S. W. (2011). Exposure to Room Light before Bedtime Suppresses Melatonin Onset and Shortens Melatonin Duration in Humans. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 96 (3), E463–E472. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2010-2098

14. Higuchi, S., Nagafuchi, Y., Lee, S.-I., & Harada, T. (2014). Influence of light at night on melatonin suppression in children. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 99 (9), 3298–3303. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2014-1629

15. International Dark-Sky Association. (2023). Light pollution wastes energy and money and damages the climate. DarkSky. https://darksky.org/resources/what-is- light-pollution/effects/energy-climate/

16. International Dark-Sky Association. (2019). NIGHTS OVER TUCSON: How the Tucson, Arizona, LED Conversion Improved the Quality of the Night. DarkSky. https://darksky.org/news/nights-over-tucson/

17. International Energy Agency. (2024). ETP Clean Energy Technology Guide – Data Tools . https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/etp-clean-energy- technology-guide?layout=trlselectedTechID=3b2f2768

18. International Energy Agency. (n.d.). Lighting. IEA. https://www.iea.org/energy- system/buildings/lighting.

19. International Monetary Fund. World Economic Outlook (October2024)-GDP, current prices. https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/NGDPD@WEO/OEMDC/AD

20. Karska, J., Kowalski, S., G-ladka, A., & et al. (2024). Artificial light and neurodegeneration: Does light pollution impact the development of Alzheimer’s disease? GeroScience, 46(1), 87–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-023-00932-0.

21. Mason, I. C., Grimaldi, D., Reid, K. J., Warlick, C. D., Malkani, R. G., Abbott, S. M., & Zee, P. C. (2022). Light exposure during sleep impairs cardiometabolic func- tion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119 (12), e2113290119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2113290119.

22. Marchant, N. (2021). This is how climate change could impact the global econ- omy. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/06/impact- climate-change-global-gdp.

23. McIntyre, I. M., Norman, T. R., Burrows, G. D., & Armstrong, S. M. (1989). Human melatonin suppression by light is intensity dependent. Journal of Pineal Re- search, 6(2), 149–156. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-079X.1989.tb00412.x.

24. Min, J., and Min, K. (2018). Outdoor light at night and the prevalence of depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviors: A cross-sectional study in a nationally representative sample of Korean adults. Journal of Affective Disorders, 227, 199–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.10.039.

25. National Geographic. (2024). Light pollution. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resourc pollution/

26. Obayashi, K., Saeki, K., Iwamoto, J., Ikada, Y., & Kurumatani, N. (2013). Exposure to light at night and risk of depression in the elderly. Journal of affective disorders, 151 (1), 331–336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2013.06.018

27. Paksarian, D., Rudolph, K. E., Stapp, E. K., Dunster, G. P., He, J., Mennitt, D., Hattar, S., Casey, J. A., James, P., & Merikangas, K. R. (2020). Association of Outdoor Artificial Light at Night With Mental Disorders and Sleep Patterns Among US Adolescents. JAMA psychiatry, 77 (12), 1266–1275. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.1935.

28. Ritchie, H., Rosado, P, & Roser, M. (2024). Greenhouse gas emissions. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/greenhouse-gas-emissions

29. Sadeghian, O., Mohammadi-Ivatloo, B., Oshnoei, A., & Aghaei, J. (2024). Un- veiling the potential of renewable energy and battery utilization in real-world public lighting systems: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 192, 114241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.114241

30. Smith, J., Speakes, J., & Rashid, M. H. (2005). An overview of the modern light dimmer: Design, operation, and application. Proceedings of the 37th Annual North American Power Symposium, 2005, 299–303. https://doi.org/10.1109/NAPS.2005.1560542.

31. Springmann, M., Mason-D’Croz, D., Robinson, S., Garnett, T., Godfray, H. C. J., Gollin, D., ... & Scarborough, P. (2016). Global and regional health effects of future food production under climate change: A modelling study. The Lancet, 387 (10031), 1937–1946. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01156-3

32. Tawfik, M., El-Maksood, A., Soliman, F., & Abd El-Basit, W. (2023). Design and implementation of electronic illumination control system. Journal of Scientific Research in Science, 40, 72–85. https://doi.org/10.21608/jsrs.2023.331804.

33. Quak, E. J. (2018). The costs and benefits of lighting and electricity ser- vices for off-grid populations in sub-Sahara Africa. Institute of Development Studies. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5af96657ed915d0df4e8cdea/CostsBenefitsOff− GridElectricityLightingSystems.pdf

34. United Nations. (2020). What is climate change? United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/clim is-climate-change

35. UNFCCC. (2023). En.lighten Initiative. https://unfccc.int/climate-action/momentum- for-change/activity-database/momentum-for-change-enlighten-initiative.

36. U.S. Department of Energy. (2022). Solid-State Lighting Research and Devel- opment Opportunities. https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/2022-ssl- rd-opportunities.pdf

37. Walker, W. H. II, Borniger, J. C., Gaudier-Diaz, M. M., Mel´endez-Ferna´ndez, O. H., Pascoe, J. L., DeVries, A. C., & Nelson, R. J. (2020). Acute exposure to low-level light at night is sufficient to induce neurological changes and depressive-like behavior. Molecular Psychiatry, 25 (5), 1080–1093. https://rdcu.be/d9nU7.

38. World Bank. (n.d.). Access to electricity (% of population) – Sub-Saharan Africa. World Bank Open Data. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS?locations=Z

39. World Bank. (2020). Off-grid solar electricity is key to achieving universal elec- tricity access. The World Bank. https://www.worldbank.org/en/results/2020/11/10/off- grid-solar-electricity-is-key-to-achieving-universal-electricity-access-the-lighting-global-story

40. World Bank Group. (2023). Final consumption expenditure (current US dol- lars). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.TOTL.CD

41. World Health Organization. (2023). Climate change. https://www.who.int/news- room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health

• PDF

Available on SSRN

Copyright (c) 2025 Author

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.