Royal Astronomical Society conference: Light Pollution and its Impacts

On 30 January 2025, the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) in the UK held the free one-day hybrid conference entitled ‘Light Pollution and its Impacts’ at its offices in Burlington House, London. The conference had multiple sessions from invited speakers from organisations including All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Dark Skies, Buglife, Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), Dark Skies Cumbria, Dark Sky UK and Dark Sky International as well as speakers from European-funded sister projects AquaPLAN and PLAN-B.

The conference sessions covered topics such as policy and regulation, environment and biodiversity, and human health. AquaPLAN researcher Tim Smyth (Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)) as an invited speaker, once again delivered the science on light pollution in marine ecosystems, while PLAN-B Coordinator Yana Yakushina (University of Ghent, Space Court Foundation) covered the political landscape and regulation of light pollution. Approaches to effectively tackle light pollution were discussed, while looking at the current regulatory landscape in the UK, opportunities for improvement, local interventions and best practices in the UK and elsewhere in the world.

By highlighting the environmental, economic, and public health impacts of light pollution, as well as its effects on astronomy, the conference aimed to equip attendees with the tools to craft effective policies and practices that balance human needs with protection of the night sky and the natural environment.

Full programme and more details

Labour peer Dr Stephen Benn opening the conference