THE DARKNESS MANIFESTO

Insightful observations about how lighting is blighting both the environment and our inner lives.

At first glance, this book seems to be an exercise in eccentricity, but it turns out to be an absorbing read. Eklöf is a Swedish biologist whose original area of expertise is bats. When he realized that the bat population was declining, he started looking for the reason. He found that the number of insects, the primary food for bats, was sharply decreasing and that the cause was an excess of artificial light. Most insects are nocturnal, and their feeding and mating cycles are determined by the sun and moon. As artificial lighting has grown more intense and spread into rural areas, these cycles have become fatally disrupted, and the consequences ripple through the food chain. Even more, light pollution—light that is essentially unnecessary but has an adverse impact on ecosystems—is directly affecting mammal populations, including humans. “The biological clock, our circadian rhythm, is ancient, shared, and completely fundamental,” writes Eklöf. He continues, “the artificial light from lamps, headlights, and floodlights is not in this equation and risks, to put it mildly, creating disorder in the system.” For many people, this dislocation means disrupted sleep, stress, and depression. The author also explores the history of artificial light, pointing out that much of the lighting in our society achieves very little, aside from wasting resources. He readily acknowledges that artificial illumination is a hallmark of civilization, but his advice is to protect the ecosystem, and ultimately our own well-being, by turning down the lights and accepting the natural rhythms of night and day. His conclusion: “Seize darkness. Become its friend and enjoy it—it will enrich your life….Carpe noctem.”

A captivating, poetic call for greater awareness of the natural cycles of the world.