Berlin at night
Even if lightbulbs consume less electricity, we may not
achieve energy savings or reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The reason is
simple: when light becomes cheaper, many users will increase illumination, and
some previously unlit areas may become lit. In a recently published article in
the journal “Energy & Environmental Science”, scientists from the
Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin (IGB)
and the Museum am Schölerberg in Osnabrück, Germany have presented three policy
recommendations, which they say could greatly reduce energy consumption and
light pollution – without leaving cities in the dark.