[ASA] Petition to the Australian Government to Legislate against Artificial Light at Night

[Peter Swanton]

Hi all,

I, alongside my colleagues at the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance, have created a petition to get the Australian Government to create legislation that limits light pollution and preserve Australia's Dark skies. This is following the successful implementation of such laws in other countries, such as France, Germany and Croatia.

We are all too aware of the impacts that light pollution can have on astronomical infrastructure, but light pollution impacts are far further reaching than just our ability to do astronomical research. There are human health impacts<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/V39YC91WPRT20rxQ8HofzsqqfvF?domain=darksky.org> to light pollution, with disruptions to sleep from light pollution leading to increased risks of cancer and heart disease. Light Pollution also causes disruptions to marine wildlife, migratory species and nocturnal animals, such as the Bogong Moth here in the Canberra region, which was also recently shown to use the stars to navigate<https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/d-eaC0YKPvimxY4VjTDh1s9iDkn?domain=nature.com>

Please consider signing the petition here: https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN7346

If you could also share with your networks/institutes that would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers

Peter Swanton

Indigenous Research Associate

Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Mount Stromlo Observatory, Cotter Rd, Weston Creek, ACT, 2611, Australia

[ANU_ack]


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