www.anatomyofnight.comThe problem of light pollution is not what you think it is. Many consider light pollution to be a waste, and a nuisance, however the real issue is the ghastly impacts it has upon wildlife. Light pollution is the most overlooked and drastic form of climate change that is happening right in front of us. Ironically, we could solve the issue with the flip of a switch. The main barrier is awareness. Planetary light levels are increasing each year because of the ease of LED lighting design and installation. The world has never been brighter, and yet we have never been more scared of the dark. All over the planet, we are changing the arc of the natural daylight cycle, removing darkness, and distancing our relationship to the stars. Yet the stars are light enough… to create a shadow, if only we would let it get dark enough. More than temperature, the cycle of natural light and darkness has tuned the behaviors of all living things. When we shine light at night, we change the relationships and patterns between every living thing. On land, nocturnal pollinators die from exhaustion at streetlights instead of pollinating the plants. In the sky, birds are losing their way before they can breed. The stars guide the travel of species all over the planet, and we are burning their map of the sky. Underneath the waters, zooplankton stop vertically navigating in the presence of light. A richly diverse world of living things is being subjected to constant light that deeply interrupts the natural balance of life on Earth. We simply have no idea how changing the perennial pattern of the natural daylight cycle will cascade through our ecosystems. Ecosystems depend on the ancient interval of daylight and darkness and we are rendering night extinct. Darkness is as vital to the health of the planet as light, and light at night is creating an unprecedented loss of habitat for wildlife.