From Shore to Ship: The Silent, Unregulated Light Pollution Crisis

Summary

The glow of ships, ports, platforms, and other coastal infrastructure is silently devastating marine biodiversity. Artificial light at night, or ALAN, misleads marine creatures such as turtles, plankton, and seabirds that depend on natural light cues for navigation, migration, and reproduction. Artificial lights’ false indicators are leading to the death and decline of thousands of marine creatures. As bright infrastructure continues to grow along coasts and at sea, the lack of effective regulation is becoming more glaring. The Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a U.N. agency, may hear a submission on light pollution at its upcoming meeting. When light pollution is discussed on the international stage, it is critical to learn from the processes of similar pollution mitigation efforts to make sure we do not delay urgent action for our already at-risk oceans.

Why is Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) Harmful?

Artificial light at night, in the ocean and at its shores, wreaks havoc on all kinds of marine creatures. ALAN creates false signals, like a faulty GPS that misleads migrating marine species, from shearwaters to whales. Many crustaceans and other animals reproduce or feed at night, and the ever-present ALAN can prevent this. Turtle hatchlings rely on the moon to guide them to the sea; ALAN on the beach can disorient the hatchlings, making a dangerous trek to the ocean even more deadly. Additionally, excessive light can create an overpopulation of creatures that thrive in light, causing imbalances within marine food webs. According to the University of Plymouth, about 772,000 square miles of the world’s oceans are affected by light pollution, an area bigger than the state of Alaska, in the United States. Both on shore and at sea, ALAN is causing harm, yet regulatory measures remain insufficient.

Regulation of light pollution cannot be fixed with a simple flick of the switch. Pollution of all kinds does not respect borders and jurisdictions, making it challenging to regulate. When pollution is regulated without a globally agreed-upon framework, it can result in fragmentation and inconsistency. This pattern of delayed regulatory responses can be seen time and time again with oil spills, air pollution or plastic pollution, to name a few. Laws and regulations are perpetually lagging behind environmental harms. But light pollution presents an opportunity to extinguish a pollutant before its effects become irreversible.

What is the Solution?

Currently, very few regulatory bodies are taking advantage of the unique opportunity to completely end light pollution. Existing and proposed regulations often lack enforcement or rely on voluntary compliance, repeating ineffective approaches seen with other pollutants. Similar pollutants prove voluntary guidelines often see little results and allow more environmental devastations. In the United States, Florida has some of the strongest regulations and guidance about beachside lighting, mostly pertaining to turtles. However, every year hundreds of hatchlings still die on Florida’s beaches due to artificial light. There are many guidelines and policies at the international level, but they lack consistency and enforceability. By the time comprehensive action is taken, environmental damage may be irreversible.

There is no single solution to ending light pollution, but some solutions are better than others. Voluntary guidelines should not even be in the discussion. A robust, community-informed, research-backed approach that establishes mandatory regulations from the start will help ensure that we are implementing the best ocean health practices. Measures should include incentives for the adoption of environmentally safe lighting practices, mitigation of ALAN at all sources, modification of shipping and port operations around critical periods of migration and reproduction, and a focus on shipping ports and platforms which emit ALAN continuously.

Governing bodies and lawmakers need to take action to address ALAN immediately. Effective regulation requires an ever-learning governing body that are led by and accountable to impacted communities, including Indigenous peoples and coastal communities, as well as all lives both human and more-than-human that are affected. Centered on solidarity, collaboration, and respect, approaches to marine light pollution could include the following: (1) Establish comprehensive and enforceable international regulations for consistent global management of marine light pollution in organizations like the IMO to address ALAN through processes that respect and uphold Indigenous and local knowledge. (2) National investments in safe lighting infrastructure with a focus on coastal communities. (3) Ensure state or regional enforcement and fair distribution of funding for equitable and effective implementation. (4) Adapt regulations locally to address community needs and affected marine species, empowering community members to lead and represent the interests of the area.

Nevertheless, initiatives such as the Global Ocean Artificial Light at Night Network and AquaPLAN represent positive developments, providing research and support for regulatory measures. Now it is up to the governing bodies, lawmakers, and institutions to take that next step of creating equitable solutions. The challenges facing ALAN demand more than voluntary or even technical fixes. Decision making should take an environmental justice approach emphasizing bottom-up organizing by engaging all leadership and governance levels, especially within impacted communities.  

Urgent Action is Needed

Light pollution is a serious environmental threat that directly results in biodiversity loss and the ongoing degradation of marine ecosystems, yet current responses remain inadequate to address its widespread impacts. Immediate action by governing bodies worldwide is vital to establish mandatory and enforceable regulations targeting light pollution. Addressing ALAN presents a unique opportunity to prevent further harm and establish a model for future pollution control efforts. Let’s not let wasted light become another blinding pillar of the environmental crisis.