# We're Wasting LEDs' Potential to Save Our Night Skies Excessive lighting leads to health and safety issues. - **Source:** [Hacker News (news.ycombinator.com)](https://brifing.si/source/13c923cd-6d99-442b-9b8b-1181f4d8cd91) - **Published:** 2026-07-20 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/22fecd84-b403-4c65-b962-26b807d44d03 ## History of Night Lighting London and Paris led the expansion of street lighting in the 19th century. Today, these cities represent both the magnitude of the current problem and a future lit by trillions of LED chips. ## Rise of LEDs LED technology, invented by Nick Holonyak in 1962, has exploded in recent years. By 2019, more than half of U.S. streetlights were LEDs, and this number is expected to exceed 90% by 2030. ## Energy Savings LEDs convert electricity into light, reducing energy consumption by up to 90%. This allows municipalities to achieve immediate energy savings and lower costs. ## Problem of Excessive Lighting In cities like London, lighting levels are excessive, with unshielded light blasting in all directions. This situation invites dangers rather than enhancing safety. ## Safety Illusion Research shows that high lumen output does not reduce crime rates. Excessive light strains human eyes and digital sensors, misleading safety perceptions. ## Health Impacts Excessive lighting disrupts circadian rhythms, impedes melatonin production, and can lead to obesity, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. ## Biological Effects of LEDs New research indicates that blue light from LEDs suppresses melatonin production and increases health risks. ## Historic and Modern Lighting Trafalgar Square features historic gas lamps alongside modern LEDs, showcasing how old and new technologies coexist. ## Balance of Light and Darkness Simon Thorp conducts light measurements in Trafalgar Square, emphasizing the importance of balancing light and darkness. ## Future Lighting LED technology, with its controllable and tunable features, will form the foundation of future lighting. ## Energy Efficiency and Environment LEDs offer an environmentally friendly lighting solution, reducing global energy consumption through energy efficiency. ## Protecting the Night Sky Proper use of LED technology can protect the night sky, reducing negative impacts on human health and the environment. ## Sources covering this story - https://spectrum.ieee.org/led-light-pollution — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._