![]() NPS Protecting night skies offers an economic advantage through the reduction in light pollution. Since light pollution often stems from the wasted component of outdoor lighting, eliminating the light that is scattered uselessly into the night sky will make outdoor lighting more energy efficient. Thus, making outdoor lighting night sky friendly could potentially save $2 billion annually (Hunter and Crawford, 1991) and perhaps as much as $10 billion annually by some estimates.
The economic value of night skies should come as no surprise. Adam Smith, the father of modern economics and capitalism once wrote, "Of all the phenomena of nature, the celestial appearances are, by the greatness and beauty, the most universal objects of the curiosity of mankind" (Gallaway, 2012).
References
Tim Hunter and David Crawford, "Economics of Light Pollution," Light Pollution, Radio Interference, and Space Debris, ASP Conference Series, Vol. 7, IAU Colloquium 112, 1991. D.L Crawford Ed.
Terrel Gallaway, "On Light Pollution, Passive Pleasures, and the Instrumental Value of Beauty," Journal of Economic Issues, March 2012.
|
Last updated: July 23, 2018