If one moves deep in the middle of a desert, the night sky overhead will be much descriptive and embellished, revealing features that can never be seen from the ‘well illuminated’ cities, all thanks to light pollution.

A report published in MIT's Technology Review points towards the bright lights, used for outdoor artificial lighting, as a cause of severe light pollution, harming humans and wildlife terribly.Why is light pollution harmful ?

Light pollution has a very coercive impact on the wildlife. Many birds migrate at night, and these artificial lights disorient their path hundreds of miles away. A research points out that several millions of birds are killed in the United States each year because of collisions with buildings. The bright lights on the buildings fascinate birds in the same way that they attract insects. The report says that even trees get illumined by the surrounding brightness and shed their leaves and buds earlier.

Night light can affect sleep and circadian rhythms – natural sleep and awake cycle. Doctors suggest darkening the bedroom room at night to sleep better. It has also been linked to cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

We need to adjust our eyes from the glare as we walk from a bright area into a darker one.

Another effect of light pollution is that it illuminates the area more than what is required.What is the solution ?

The major problem lies in using light more than what is required. Bright lights are used even though they are not required at the places in want of alternatives.

LED can come as a rescue for it, the brightness of LED can be controlled even up to 0%. The report says that LEDs are a better alternative because they can generate the same illumination with less light and energy because they are better at directing light to a targeted area.

LEDs brightness can be controlled depending on the need. The report rejects the claims that dimming outdoor lighting will cut down on advertising revenue and make the city more prone to crime. It says that dimming the street light does not compromise against street crime, while there is also some evidence that instead of over illuminating the roads, lights can be placed at strategic locations to increase traffic safety.But is LED the sole solution ?

Research has shown that our body clock is sensitive to blue wavelengths. And here comes the problem with the LEDs, as they emit more blue light of short wavelengths than an incandescent lamp. The report says that since bluer, cooler-toned lights with higher Kelvin ratings have shown the unambiguous evidence of being harmful for our body sleep cycle, a warmer temperature of 2,200 K is a better solution.

Report states that communication is a big hurdle here. People are not aware of light pollution because they don’t feel it is as important as air or water pollution.