Light pollution of LEDs

To save energy and reduce emissions from lighting systems, cities and municipalities have been replacing traditional incandescent bulbs with more energy-efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, LEDs increase light pollution due to their white-blue light. Negative side-effects of light pollution include impacts on wildlife, ecosystems and sleep quality, as the light disrupts the day-night rhythm of living species. As a result of the global transition to LED lighting, it has been estimated that the amount of light emitted increased by around two per cent per year over the period 2011-2021.

Nº 39

1) Europe

2) France

  • Climate & Atmosphere
  • Buildings Emission Reduction
  • Improving Energy Efficiency
some attempts made
past case
Region-1
Region-2
Region-3
Region-4
ongoing case
no attempts made

Light pollution of LEDs

To save energy and reduce emissions from lighting systems, cities and municipalities have been replacing traditional incandescent bulbs with more energy-efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, LEDs increase light pollution due to their white-blue light. Negative side-effects of light pollution include impacts on wildlife, ecosystems and sleep quality, as the light disrupts the day-night rhythm of living species. As a result of the global transition to LED lighting, it has been estimated that the amount of light emitted increased by around two per cent per year over the period 2011-2021.

1) The increased use of LED lighting in Europe has led to significant changes in both the light spectrum and light intensity. Both the blue/green and green/red ratios have increased over time. Meanwhile, despite the energy savings of LEDs, light emissions have also increased. These developments, particularly the increase in light emissions at blue wavelengths, may have important biological effects, such as on species’ circadian systems and foraging behaviour.

2) France has joined a number of other countries in the Global Lighting Challenge. This initiative aims to achieve a total of 10 billion sales of high-efficiency lamps, such as LEDs, in order to save energy.

  • The problem-shift had no effect on the efforts to address the initial problem
  • Multilple (effects disconected from each other)

1) Sánchez De Miguel, A., Bennie, J., Rosenfeld, E., Dzurjak, S., & Gaston, K. J. (2022). Sánchez de Miguel et al Environmental risks from artificial nighttime lighting widespread and increasing across Europe. Science Advances 8 (37) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl6891

2) France | Global Lighting Challenge. (n.d.). Available at: https://www.globallightingchallenge.org/WhosIn/Endorsing-governments/France/

Schulte-Römer, N., Meier, J., Söding, M., & Dannemann, E. (2019). The LED paradox: how light pollution challenges experts to reconsider sustainable lighting. Sustainability, 11(21), 6160. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11216160

Christopher C. M. Kyba et al. ,Citizen scientists report global rapid reductions in the visibility of stars from 2011 to 2022. Science379,265-268(2023). DOI:10.1126/science.abq7781

Fabio Falchi Salvador Bará, Light pollution is skyrocketing. Science379, 234-235(2023). DOI:10.1126/science.adf4952

Brady, H. (2017, November 28). Las luces LED incrementan la contaminación lumínica. Retrieved from National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.es/medio-ambiente/2017/11/las-luces-led-incrementan-la-contaminacion-luminica#:~:text=La%20contaminaci%C3%B3n%20lum%C3%ADnica%2C%20especialmente%20la,gran%20cantidad%20de%20luz%20artificial.

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