Let the stars out tonight
Tan Hui Yee, Straits Times 7 May 08;
TEN years ago, I met a few amateur astronomers who loved stars as much as they hated light at night.
Since the glow of city lights is never far from even the thickest patch of jungle here, they fled to cemeteries in search of the dark.
These stargazers came to mind again last month when I stumbled upon the International Dark-Sky Association, a US-based group dedicated to fighting light pollution.
Somewhat incongruously, it had chosen to set up shop at Light + Building, the world's biggest lighting fair held once every two years in Frankfurt. Amid the gaggle of groomed salesmen hawking state-of- the-art lamps, the association's staff hand out literature extolling the beauty of the night sky and calling for tighter lighting rules.
We are familiar with the halo of light that hangs over cities called the 'urban skyglow'. This glow results mostly from fixtures that do not direct their light to the ground but 'wastes' some of it skyward. These energy-sapping fixtures are the chief reason why stars are not visible in cities.
There are other victims of ill-conceived lighting besides amateur astronomers denied their view of the Milky Way. For example, stray beams of light confuse migratory birds. Hatchling sea turtles, which orientate themselves using light from the night sky reflected off the ocean's surface, may never make it out to sea when lured inland by artificial lights from beachfront buildings.
Then there is health. A recent study by scientists at the University of Haifa in Israel adds to the growing evidence that exposure to artificial light raises the risk of breast cancer. By overlaying satellite images of Earth at night with breast cancer registries, they found a link between the two conditions. Scientists suspect this is because artificial light at night suppresses the body's production of the hormone melatonin.
Also, overly bright light can hinder vision and compromise road safety when it creates steep transitions from light to dark.
The association's literature says: 'The idea that more light always results in better safety and security is a myth. One needs only the right amount of light, in the right place, at the right time. More light often means wasted light and energy.'
That message may be well received now when skyrocketing oil prices are driving building owners to consider energy-efficient lamps. But there are other things at stake for Singapore, beyond the dollars and cents.
The Republic is on the brink of remaking its city centre. It is building two integrated resorts, three waterfront gardens, new shopping complexes along Orchard Road as well as glitzy hotels and condominiums. Add to this an ambitious plan to jazz up the Central Business District, Marina Bay, Orchard Road, Bugis Street and the Singapore River with white light, animated lights, underwater lights and even lights in trees to bring out the allure of the Garden City after sundown.
The authorities, keen to rope in private buildings, have dangled incentives before their owners to add to the glow. The city is set to get a whole lot brighter.
Doomsayers may write Singapore off as a lost cause as far as sensitive lighting is concerned, but the Dark-Sky group will have none of that. After all, it is not fighting lighting per se, but rather bad lighting. The association's public affairs officer Kim Patten says it works closely with companies to promote downlighting - which come with special fixtures to direct light downwards - and gives its stamp of approval to products which pass muster.
Handsome architecture need not stay shrouded in the dark when sensitive lighting can lend it a whole new perspective. Ms Patten says: 'We respect architecture. Feel free to use light, but we prefer downlight. We also ask that you turn it off sometime at night, for example, at 11pm or 12am. We are the dark sky, not dark ground association.'
The debate between light pollution and development need not be polarised. Simple solutions - like choosing motion-activated lights - can go a long way to create a middle ground.
Perhaps with some compromise, we may still find space for the stargazers on this crowded island.
