It`s 50 years since Don McClean released his hit single “Vincent” in honour of Van Gogh. The opening words to the song refer to his painting “Starry Night”, painted more than 130 years ago when skies were really starry. The same can not be said today and it is more especially in these last 50 years that the situation has changed. Light pollution is a problem that affects all of us, but perhaps more importantly it has a terrible effect on an already depleted insect population. Of course the main argument for street lighting at night is that it prevents crime but evidence for this is fairly inclusive and there are even reports that suggest it may even increase the possibility of crime.
Now one of the measures taken by the Spanish government in answer to the energy crisis brought on by the war in Ukraine has been to make it compulsory for shops to turn off shop window lighting at night. Were climate change and insectageddon not good enough reasons?
But what about the small towns and villages? Many, if not most of them, seem to want to keep our streets and roads lit up in places where there is a house. Now, of course, they can say that the light bulbs are being replaced by more energy-efficient LED bulbs but according to the International Dark-Sky Association these bulbs emit a blue light which is even worse for insects. So is street lighting really necessary? In the French state more than 700 towns have acquired the Starry Town certificate, one of which being Ahetze in Iparralde. In this way it has been able to not only avoid light pollution, but save a lot of money. Many other towns in the north of the Basque Country turn off their lights around 23:00 and in Urruña inhabitants with a Smartphone can now use an app to turn the lights on if they need to.
Surely it`s time that villages and towns here took another look at their lighting policy. In Navarra the town of Lerin has been doing so for a number of years and it has turned the initiative into an astronomical and touristic reference. Back here, and thanks to the enthusiasm of Ruben Garai, a teacher at Larramendi ikastola, pupils and parents have been able to attend astronomy evenings in the school and discover more about the stars we can still see in the sky.
The sky at night can be exceptionally beautiful but increasing light pollution is spoiling that view, but worse still, it is having an enormous impact on insects, bats and birds. The French government has now set out clear guidelines on how to do this and many towns have gone much further, saving money and energy at the same time.It about time that towns here did the same thing (and apologies to any town that has done so).
