Light pollution is changing nature’s carbon balance, study says

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🗞️ Driving the news: A new Nature Climate Change study finds that artificial light at night (ALAN) measurably increases how much carbon ecosystems release, meaning brighter nights may be quietly worsening climate change

🔭 The context: Light pollution is rising ~2% per year, altering migration, reproduction, and circadian rhythms across species
• But this study is the first to show its impact on ecosystem carbon cycling
• Researchers examined 86 sites across Europe and North America using satellite data and carbon-flux towers

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: ALAN boosts ecosystem respiration, so plants, microbes and animals emit more CO₂, but photosynthesis does not increase to compensate
• That means net carbon release, a subtle but significant shift that could influence the global carbon budget as light pollution spreads across ¼ of Earth’s land surface

⏭️ What’s next: Scientists stress that unlike other climate drivers, this one is fast and easy to fix
• Better lighting design—dimmable, directional, spectrum-sensitive LEDs—could cut emissions, restore ecosystems and reduce energy use (lighting = 15% of global electricity consumption)
• They also call for ALAN to be integrated into climate models and global change assessments

💬 One quote: “Brighter nights lead to greater carbon release — bad news for our planet.” — Dr Alice Johnston, Cranfield University

📈 One stat: Artificial light at night already affects ~25% of Earth’s land surface

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