The dark legacy of artificial light

This article was originally published in Letters to the Editor The Washington Post Opinion Readers critique The Post: Hold climate change culprits accountable September 15, 2023 at 7:00 a.m. EDT

The Sept. 3 “Classic Peanuts” comic strip was too depressing for words.

Woodstock’s reaction most likely would be one of horror these days at the explosion of irresponsible light at night, not only in the cities but also across the globe. The unshielded light depicted in the fourth frame causes glare, light trespass and light pollution.

The fall migration of the birds is beginning. Artificial light at night is the cause of death of hundreds of millions of birds each year.

One hardly thinks Woodstock would be happy seeing the pavement below buildings littered with the bodies of his friends. The “Lights Out: Recovering Our Night Sky” exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History shows what the unabated exponential growth of our artificial lights is doing.

Eileen Kragie, Vienna

The writer is the founder of Dark Sky Friends.