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Dark side of light - Light pollution

As a result of Industrial Revolution, "40% of the United States and almost 20% of the European Union population has lost the ability to view the night sky. Artificial light has given us endless opportunities but - with great power comes great responsibility - artificial light has unintended yet harmful impacts on the world and we need to be aware of it to take reasonable decisions. In this project our team of five secondary schools will address the growing and very silent problem of light pollution and its effects on fauna, flora, human health and energy consumption, hence ecology. Light pollution leads to sleep deprivation, hence melatonin normally produced during sleep, is reduced and cannot fight obesity, cancer, diabetes, reproductive disorders, etc. Light pollution also affects hormonal balance, behavior, energy metabolism. Moreover, it has a harmful effect on ecosystems such as zooplankton, fireflies, long-nosed bats, etc. Last but not least sky glow in the atmosphere at night reduces the contrast between stars and galaxies and the sky itself. It diminishes the possibility to see fainter objects. Hence newer telescopes have to be built in increasingly remote areas like mountains, deserts. This is what we are going to study over our joint project activities.
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8 members

Information

Članovi:
8
Membership:
Belgium(3), Bulgaria(2), Portugal(2)
Age range:
15
-
18
Vocational subjects of teaching:
Key competences: