New Delhi: Nights on earth are becoming brighter. And in Asia, India and China are the major contributors to this trend. The research was conducted by an international team of remote sensing and environmental scientists, and the results were published in the Nature journal. NASA’s black marble satellite data was used in the research. The findings highlight that artificial light at night serves as a measurable indication of economic growth, electrification, and urban development—but is also causing light pollution.
Light pollution surged 16 per cent across the world between 2014 and 2022. This pattern shows that the pace of urbanisation, industrialisation and increased human activities has contributed to those factors, says a recent global study that is based on satellite data.
“Artificial light at night (ALAN) extends visibility beyond daylight hours, enabling round-the-clock movement, gathering and continuation of daily life. Yet, ALAN is far more than a visual spectacle: it is a direct, measurable signal of human activity, reflecting how we build and power our settlements and the dynamics of our economies,” reads the report.
“The illuminated Earth, viewed from space at night, is a powerful testament to human presence, revealing a ‘Black Marble’ increasingly delineated by the light of human settlements, industries and energy infrastructures,” the report added.
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Electrification and growth
In Asia, especially India and China, and parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, the nights got brighter by 34 per cent compared to 2014. Some areas, such as France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, have also registered a decline up to 18 percent. It is because these pockets are implementing energy-saving measures, using lighting like LEDs, and economic slowdowns.
This shows that the Earth’s night-time lighting is constantly changing, rather than simply getting brighter everywhere.
In India, it is the southern states that show a steady rise in the brightness, signaling higher economic activity and better civic infrastructure, such as street lighting and power connections. In the early years of the study, northern regions too posted an increase in brightening, largely due to government-led rural electrification programmes.