SAVING THE NIGHT

An overview of the effects of artificial light on nature and us.

Aitken notes that many wild creatures are confused by increased levels of nighttime illumination—after all, as he states, half of all invertebrates, 3 out of 4 mammals, and nearly all amphibians are nocturnal. At times, he gets a bit off message, allowing that many bats enjoy the “all-you-can-eat bugfest” around streetlights; he also discusses how 3 out of 4 sea creatures naturally glow in the dark and that miners have used fireflies and dried fish skins for light. However, his laments for the loss of unobstructed views of the night sky and the deaths of millions of bird colliding with lit windows, his warnings about the effects of blue (but not yellow) LED lights on our levels of melatonin, and his reports on how brighter security lights cause crime levels to rise—and vice versa—are well taken, and he does close with a sensible invitation to young nature lovers to flick the switches off and “take a walk on the dark side.” Color photos supply views of densely starry skies, lit up cityscapes, wildlife, and diverse sets of human observers.

Veers off course occasionally but flashes on a too often unconsidered sort of environmental pollution.