The party's over?Light pollution ('Light All Night," SN: 3/18/06,p. 170) is a side effect of cheap fossil fuels. As such, we may be closer to the end of this problem than most people think Electricity is still the best bargain in the civilized world, but blowing it off into the night sky has always been folly. When energy prices reach a high-enough level, streetlights, commercial signage Commercial signage identifies a business or similar entity, assists in wayfinding and attracts customers. In societies where literacy is not widespread, such signs are necessarily primarily based on images rather than words. , and private-yard lights will begin to wink out. I eagerly await that day. TOM NESS, GRANTS PASS, ORE. The study by Chad Moore and Dan Driscoe quantifying light pollution is valuable. However, like most similar studies, it does not address the deleterious deleterious adj. harmful. effects light pollution is already having on humans. The notion persists that the electric destruction of night is nothing more that a minor nuisance. Nothing could be farther from the truth. One has only to survey a few people to see how abysmally ignorant they are about the stars in the night sky--which they have basically never seen--to understand the pernicious pernicious /per·ni·cious/ (per-nish´us) tending toward a fatal issue. per·ni·cious adj. Tending to cause death or serious injury; deadly. effects of light pollution on our very nature as intelligent beings. PATRICK L. LILLY, COLORADO SPRINGS Colorado Springs, city (1990 pop. 281,140), seat of El Paso co., central Colo., on Monument and Fountain creeks, at the foot of Pikes Peak; inc. 1886. It is a year-round resort and a booming military, technological, and commercial city. , COLO Colo Colorado (old style state abbreviation) COLO Columbus, Ohio COLO Co-Location COLO Colonial National Historic Park (US National Park Service) COLO Cost Of Living Option . |
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