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Blinded by the light

Despite a groundbreaking 2002 law against light pollution, the problem of glaring luminosity is getting worse in Prague

By Hilda Hoy
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
March 7th, 2007 issue

VLADIMÍR WEISS/THE PRAGUE POST
Astronomer Pavel Suchan says bright nights interfere with his observations and "the use of artificial light is growing constantly."
Wherever he goes, astronomer Pavel Suchan can’t escape the light.
At work at the Ondřejov observatory just outside Prague, his view of the heavens is obstructed by excess light from the capital, which creates a blinding glare in the night sky.
When he returns home to his Nusle flat in Prague 4, the commercials flashing on a giant TV screen beside Nuselský Bridge and the glare from over-lit office buildings nearby keep him from being able to relax.
“Light should serve people, not bother them,” he says. “But we don’t know how to use light properly — that’s the problem.”
Light pollution, as excess or poorly used nighttime lighting is called, is truly a problem of the modern age. Experts in the United States began discussing the issue as early as the 1950s, Suchan says. For the Czech Republic, the rapid commercialization that followed the 1989 revolution has sent light pollution skyrocketing.
“It has definitely been worsening. The use of artificial light is growing constantly … and the shine above the city is getting bigger and bigger,” Suchan says.
But light pollution isn’t just a problem for stargazing astronomers. It can disrupt the body’s normal day-night cycle, causing sleep disorders, headaches and anxiety, experts say. “Sleep is the best way to regenerate, and, if something interferes with our sleep, we feel stressed,” Prague psychiatrist Zdeněk Bašný says.
Overly lit roads and billboards can create glare in the eyes of motorists. Studies have even linked excess light to elevated hormone levels in women, which can lead to increased risks of certain cancers. And environmentalists say too much urban light disturbs nearby animal habitats.
According to anti–light pollution group Save the Night, 99 percent of the European Union’s population lives in areas where the night sky is polluted by light.
For Mahin Gorji, a newcomer to Prague, the glare outside her apartment windows means anxiety, headaches and restless sleep. She moved from Tehran, Iran — a “big, noisy, over-congested city” — one month ago, but finds the excess light on her Vinohrady street more bothersome than the hustle and bustle of home.
Each evening, she has to turn off the lights in her flat in order to get some relief.
“The lights make me angry,” she says. “People need to have their own privacy and be able to live in peace.”

In Prague, office buildings and malls that stay bright all night — as well as stadiums, billboards and monuments lit up with high-beam lights — are said to be the worst offenders.

A loose law
Back in 2002, things were supposed to change.
That year, the Czech Republic made headlines around the world when it passed the first national law against light pollution. Previously, only scattered cities and regions had passed such measures. Experts near and far hailed the government for its progressive environmental policy.
What Light Pollution Harms
  • Astronomy: The glow from excess urban light obstructs scientists' views of the celestial landscape
  • Environment: More lights mean more electricity use, which can lead to other types of pollution
  • Health: Disrupted sleep can cause anxiety and decrease production of the hormone melatonin, which may weaken the immune system and increase the risk of some cancers
  • Wildlife: Lit-up office towers disrupt birds' flying patterns, and excess light disturbs the breeding of nocturnal animals
  • Economy: Excessive and inefficient nighttime lighting costs governments more
Source: The International Dark/Sky Association
Nearly five years later, it’s clear that initiative failed.
“The problem is the law was supposed to be accompanied by so-called ‘rules for implementation’ which, unfortunately, were never approved by the government,” Suchan says. “It means that … there are no sanctions for those who break the law.
“It is a great pity. … For the first time, we could have been ahead and shown the world a good example.”
The light pollution measure was attached to the Clean Air Act, which regulates emissions and air pollution. When it came time to pass sanctions for light pollution, less than one-third of lawmakers showed support, Brno astronomer Jan Hollan says. The head of the Czech chapter of the International Dark-Sky Association, he spearheaded the lobbying campaign for the 2002 law.
“More will in Parliament is needed,” he says. “The conviction that a new law should be adopted is very weak.”
Prague should take the initiative to pass its own municipal rules, Suchan says, “but it is really difficult to do so in such a big city.”
Such an initiative is currently under way, says Petr Štěpánek, the city councilor responsible for environmental issues. “We’re monitoring the situation and the need for change [but] we are quite far from having a direct regulation passed. It’s at least a year away.”
He acknowledges light pollution is a serious problem. “We know there is noise pollution, air pollution and so on. There is also light pollution. It’s very clear. … It has consequences for both people and animals.”
But, elsewhere within City Hall, the reaction is dismissive.
“If people are bothered by the light, they can buy curtains,” says Jan Winkler, director of the department for environmental protection.
An enlightened solution
One of the most frustrating things about light pollution is how easily it could be solved if there were the will, Hollan says.
He and other activists advocate efficient streetlights that use shields or curved shades to direct light downward. Stadium-style lights, “sky beamer” spotlights used for advertising, and monuments or churches illuminated by skyward lighting are all “horrible,” Hollan says with obvious disgust.
“The technology used in Prague is very bad,” he says. “[The lights] destroy and damage the look of Prague.”
He would like the Czech Republic to introduce laws similar to those in the Lombardy region of Italy, where only efficient lighting is allowed, streetlights are dimmed at night, and the strength of lights is regulated.
But he considers himself too exhausted by years of lobbying to make that happen.
“It takes a lot of work to explain all the elements to all the parties involved,” he says. “And I don’t have enough energy to make that breakthrough.”
Hela Balínová contributed to this report.

Hilda Hoy can be reached at hhoy@praguepost.com


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