{"id":1693,"date":"2019-12-21T11:50:43","date_gmt":"2019-12-21T11:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/en\/?p=1693"},"modified":"2020-03-26T13:43:36","modified_gmt":"2020-03-26T13:43:36","slug":"from-oil-lamp-to-light-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/en\/health-nutrition\/from-oil-lamp-to-light-pollution\/","title":{"rendered":"From Oil Lamp to Light Pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Chanukah and Light Pollution\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IbN83-mLupo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>No other holiday in the Jewish calendar places more importance on the symbol of light than Chanukah. During the eight-day celebration, each day is commemorated by the burning of an additional candle on the Hanukkiah until they are all lit together on the last day. The candles symbolize the miracle of the oil lamp, which burned for eight whole days despite having oil for only one, after the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the culinary aspect of Chanukah with the popular sufganiyot (fried doughnuts) and latkes (potato pancakes) takes up a more and more important role in the holiday, it\u2019s most fundamental symbol remains: light.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, the idea of relying on a single oil lamp to light an apartment, let alone an entire temple, seems outlandish. Western society has gotten so used to the omnipresence of light and electricity that even a short power outage causes agitation, especially among city dwellers \u2013 Light is everywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the perpetual absence of darkness can have serious implications for animals, humans, and the environment alike. Not to mention the loss of the romantic aspect of being able to see the night sky.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/josh-appel-lRnqCcaT89Y-unsplash-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1698\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/josh-appel-lRnqCcaT89Y-unsplash-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/josh-appel-lRnqCcaT89Y-unsplash-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/josh-appel-lRnqCcaT89Y-unsplash-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/josh-appel-lRnqCcaT89Y-unsplash-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/josh-appel-lRnqCcaT89Y-unsplash-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Today, the idea of relying on a single oil lamp to light an apartment, let alone an entire temple, seems outlandish. Photo by&nbsp;Josh Appel&nbsp;on&nbsp;Unsplash<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Implications of Light Pollution <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Along with growing human development, rapidly increasing artificial light has substantially altered the night sky in many places around the world, obscuring views of the stars and the Milky Way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/srep03789\">1970s<\/a>, satellite images are depicting the worldwide expansion of electric lighting on earth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2001, scientists determined that 19% of the global land surface is subjected to light pollution. This has led to growing concerns over the effects of artificial light on ecological processes as well as human health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With light being one of the most critical environmental factors, signaling essential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-019-48118-z\">\u201cdaily and seasonal changes in an organism\u2019s environment,\u201d<\/a> light pollution might entail a plethora of different biological and ecological implications for wildlife. Potentially affected processes in animals include navigation, activity, and reproduction. Two of the most prominent cases of the effects of light pollution on wildlife are increased bird and turtle hatchling mortality on account of disorientation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, since the 1960s, studies have linked light pollution to several adverse health implications in humans, which emerge primarily due to the effects of artificial light on the circadian rhythm (an organism\u2019s internal clock). This may lead to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/21550085.2017.1374010\">insomnia, depression, obesity, loss of night-vision, and low melatonin production<\/a>. The latter might be connected to a heightened risk of breast cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"767\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/shai-pal-PXnkmvUi_Wo-unsplash-1024x767.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1696\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/shai-pal-PXnkmvUi_Wo-unsplash-1024x767.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/shai-pal-PXnkmvUi_Wo-unsplash-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/shai-pal-PXnkmvUi_Wo-unsplash-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/shai-pal-PXnkmvUi_Wo-unsplash-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/shai-pal-PXnkmvUi_Wo-unsplash-2048x1535.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>In 2001, scientists determined that 19% of the global land surface is subjected to light pollution. Photo by&nbsp;Shai Pal&nbsp;on&nbsp;Unsplash<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Light\nPollution in Israel<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According\nto Alon Rothschild, Biodiversity Policy Manager at the Society for the\nProtection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), light pollution in Israel is mainly driven\nby two factors, one of which is the country\u2019s high population density. \u201cWe are\na very densely populated country, and it\u2019s hard to find any place in Israel\nthat does not have infrastructure of some kind, even if it\u2019s only an army base,\na road, or a water pumping facility in the middle of nowhere,\u201d he explains.\nNaturally, this fact is even further compounded by the country\u2019s minuscule size.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While most\nof the artificial light is produced north of Beer Sheva, which sits at the\nnorthern tip of the Negev desert, a lesser degree of light pollution does also\nexist in the desert. \u201cLight pollution in Israel keeps expanding all the time.\nEverything north of Beer Sheva is basically one big lit-up area. But even\nfurther south in the desert, there are army bases and prisons that light up the\nnight sky and everything around them,\u201d Rothschild says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another\nimportant element that exacerbates light pollution in Israel is security, which\nis one of the most crucial sectors of the Israeli economy. \u201cIt\u2019s a traditional\nconcept of many officers and commanders who work in the security field that\nlight equals safety and that terrorists generally avoid infrastructure that is\nwell-lit, Rothschild says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, according to Rothschild, today, this concept might be obsolete and even disadvantageous, as modern security measures rely more and more on technology, especially cameras. Modern cameras are much more sensitive to light than the human eye, so too much of it can be counterproductive for security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/yoav-aziz-XZUiNZR7y4-unsplash-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1699\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/yoav-aziz-XZUiNZR7y4-unsplash-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/yoav-aziz-XZUiNZR7y4-unsplash-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/yoav-aziz-XZUiNZR7y4-unsplash-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/yoav-aziz-XZUiNZR7y4-unsplash-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/yoav-aziz-XZUiNZR7y4-unsplash-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><figcaption><em>\u201cLight pollution in Israel keeps expanding all the time&#8221; Photo by&nbsp;Yoav Aziz&nbsp;on&nbsp;Unsplash<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Making Headway<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the\ncontinuous expansion of light pollution, there are ways and means to counteract\nthis development, which in the case of Israel is currently happening. Teva Biz is\na joint initiative of SPNI, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the\nNature and Parks Authority has developed a <a href=\"https:\/\/tevabiz.org.il\/lets-talk-business\/\">\u201cNature Protection Toolkit\u201d<\/a> for the business sector. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This kit\noffers businesses \u201cadvanced digital tools, guidelines, and solutions to\nminimize their negative ecological impact.\u201d For this purpose, the initiative\nhas worked out a protocol for the implementation of environmentally sound\npractices, including the prevention of light pollution, without harming the\nbusinesses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally,\nTeva Biz has been working with geographic information systems (GIS) in order to\nallow companies to receive extensive information on ecological diversity as\nwell as the vulnerability of their operation sites. \u201cWorking with GIS, enabled\nus to point out to the companies where they have highly sensitive areas that\njustify more substantial measures, as opposed to less sensitive areas, where\nmilder measures would suffice, Rothschild emphasizes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Based on\nthe results of the GIS analyzes, Teva Biz then helps the companies to implement\nspecific action plans, for instance, the installation of warm-temperature\nlighting, which minimizes the negative effects on the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many times,\nmeasures to reduce light pollution in the business sector do not necessarily require\nlarge-scale strategies, but rather subtle adjustments that have considerable\nand long-lasting impacts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are\ndifferent ways to prevent light pollution, one of which is obviously proper\nplanning to prevent the problem from emerging in the first place. However,\nwe\u2019ve been doing some really good work with a number of companies where we\ninstalled \u2018cut off lighting.\u2019\u201d These are simple devices that direct all the light\ncoming from a particular light source down to the ground instead of up into the\nsky, Rothschild concludes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides its\nefforts in the business sector, Teva Biz is also collaborating with the Timna\nNational Park, north of Eilat in southern Israel. Here, in the middle of the\ndesert, the initiative is working to reduce light pollution in order to create\nnighttime activities for tourists, which might allow them to see the stars in\nall their glory once again, and maybe even the Milky Way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This ZAVIT article was also published in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/jewishjournal.com\/blogs\/308779\/from-oil-lamp-to-light-pollution\/\">The Jewish Journal<\/a>&nbsp;on 12\/19\/2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No other holiday in the Jewish calendar places more importance on the symbol of light than Chanukah. During the eight-day &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":182,"featured_media":1704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15,9],"tags":[],"acf":[],"post-meta-fields":{"_edit_lock":["1585230225:11"],"_edit_last":["11"],"subtitle":["Chanukah is the Jewish festival of lights. Every year, in December, during the darkest time of the year, Jewish people around the world celebrate \u201cthe festival of lights\u201d with the lighting of the Hanukkiah. But what does modern society actually associate with light? "],"_subtitle":["field_59d3d36ea7fe1"],"_oembed_8e668f08e326cf4b90c2752bdee2150e":["<iframe title=\"Religion and Environment\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ft7xkPWtlJs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>"],"_oembed_time_8e668f08e326cf4b90c2752bdee2150e":["1576928414"],"_thumbnail_id":["1704"],"_oembed_4fcde9195623161aa9a3a2a534afa2ec":["<iframe title=\"Chanukah and Light Pollution\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IbN83-mLupo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>"],"_oembed_time_4fcde9195623161aa9a3a2a534afa2ec":["1576928471"],"_wpml_media_duplicate":["0"],"_wpml_media_featured":["0"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1693"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/182"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1693"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1693\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1705,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1693\/revisions\/1705"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}