For Climate Activists, New York’s Lights Shine Too Bright

New York: New York’s annual Climate Week is underway, bringing together activists, lawmakers, and corporate executives for hundreds of activities aimed at addressing the global catastrophe.

However, the bright lights that give the “city that never sleeps” its iconic glow have long been a source of frustration for conservators, contradicting the spirit of conservation reflected by the annual summit, which takes place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

“We have a long way to go until a brightly lit city is seen for what it is, which is just an egregious waste of energy—and something that’s having a direct impact on the natural world,” Ruskin Hartley, director of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), told AFP.

According to US Department of Energy data, outdoor lighting in the United States consumes enough energy each year to power 35 million homes.

At any given time, barely 1 per cent of artificial light reaches human eyes at any given time, the department states. Energy statistics for the entire city are difficult to come by, but satellite photographs show that New York is among the worst offenders in the United States, which according to studies, is significantly more wasteful than Europe.

Reduced light pollution should be part of the conversation as participants in Climate Week NYC, now its 15th year, oranges events on subjects ranging from climate funding to lowering the carbon footprint of food systems to the role of art in activism, according to Hartley.

“Given the magnitude of the crisis we face, people are looking for ways to make a meaningful difference in short order,” he argued.

According to the IDA, outdoor illumination escapes into space for 1 per cent of yearly carbon emissions worldwide.