https://imagine5.com/articles/its-time-we-learned-to-love-the-dark/
"Scrolling through social media or catching up on a Netflix show can seem like
a great way to unwind at the end of the day. But we are increasingly
understanding that the light emitted by phone and computer screens disrupts our
built-in food and sleep clocks by interfering with the daily cycles of
melatonin and other sleep hormones. This is contributing to insomnia,
depression and even obesity.
It’s not only phones and computers that have this effect. The artificial light
from streetlamps, headlights and electronic billboards has made light pollution
a major issue, turning the night sky a dull orange and effectively keeping our
brains and bodies in near-permanent ‘on’ mode.
By 2016, some 80% of the global population – and 99% of the population in
Europe and the US – lived under light-polluted skies. And the world keeps
getting brighter. Earlier in 2023, a study published in the journal
Science
found that between 2011 and 2022, light pollution on Earth increased 9.6%
annually.
It was this disappearing night that prompted Johan Eklöf to write
The Darkness
Manifesto, which is published by Vintage in Europe and Scribner in the US.
Made up of 43 short, accessible chapters, the book is a wide-ranging and often
beautifully written exploration of the damaging effects of constant
illumination. It’s also a passionate plea to embrace the dark. In fascinating
detail, Eklöf describes the impact of artificial light not just on humans but
on every living thing. By extending our day and forcing out the night’s
inhabitants, we are disrupting entire ecosystems."
Via
Positive.News
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
