The first results of light pollution measurements in the Transcarpathian Dark-Sky Park

Abstract

The monograph presents the issue of the impact of light pollution on the natural environment and human health. In particular, it is highlighted that night lighting could have an impact on shedding of zoonotic RNA viruses normally present in the bats' organisms, but under the stress conditions could heave led to the development of the COVID-19 pandemic. The problem of the increasingly strong impact of night lighting on the human perception of the world was raised. Various types of city lighting, both functional and decorative, are analysed in terms of their potential harmfulness to the natural environment at night. Both domestic and global examples of legal regulations related to this type of lighting and methods of counteracting its negative aspects are presented. In connection with the intended construction of the first nuclear power plant in Poland, the current state of the light pollution level in the planned construction site is presented. In the future, after construction is completed, this will enable the assessment of the impact of this type of investment on the natural environment at night. A light pollution monitoring network operating in a large city is also presented, as is a similar network operating in an area free from light pollution.