Americans and their lights

According to this recent article, Americans are up there for leaders in light pollution. One of the countries this study focused on was Germany. On a per capita basis, Germany produces much less light than the United States does. As the countries grew, the light emission rate per capita for the U.S. has continually risen while Germany has has not. With global satellite imaging, researchers have noticed that in less developed countries the primary light source came from things like airport. In more developed countries, like those throughout Europe, the main source of light pollution come from places that are associated with leisure and luxury. The night sky is important for things like astronomers and nocturnal animals. The amount of light output really says something about how we function as a society and manipulate the world around us to get what we want.

Credit: Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Centre