Owens and team find light pollution is key 'bringer of insect apocalypse'
Light pollution is a significant but overlooked driver of the rapid decline of insect populations, according to the most comprehensive review of the scientific evidence to date.
Artificial light at night can affect every aspect of insects’ lives, the researchers said, from luring moths to their deaths around bulbs, to spotlighting insect prey for rats and toads, to obscuring the mating signals of fireflies.
“We strongly believe artificial light at night – in combination with habitat loss, chemical pollution, invasive species, and climate change – is driving insect declines,” the scientists concluded after assessing more than 150 studies. “We posit here that artificial light at night is another important – but often overlooked – bringer of the insect apocalypse.”
However, unlike other drivers of decline, light pollution was relatively easy to prevent, the team said, by switching off unnecessary lights and using proper shades. “Doing so could greatly reduce insect losses immediately,” they said.
Additional Resources
Read additional coverage of the story in:
Smithsonian Magazine. 2019. The devastating role of light pollution in the ‘insect apocalypse.’
Daily Mail. 2019. Light pollution is driving the INSECT APOCALYPSE, scientists claim — from luring moths to their deaths to making bugs more visible to predators.
New York Post. 2019. Scientists reveal light pollution is driving the ‘insect apocalypse.’
Gizmodo. 2019. Bug scientists uncover a new cause of the insect apocalypse.
