From Jack Harrison
Great Chishill, Cambridgeshire
In my job as an airline pilot, I fly over many of the cities of Europe. The
amount of light shining upwards is quite amazing
(Forum, 31 January, p 47). But
in some places—on the A90 trunk road south of Aberdeen, for
example—the street lights have efficient reflectors. Seen from above, no
direct lights are visible at all, although the road surface itself is well lit.
Unfortunately, most cities, towns and even villages are a blaze of light.
This wasting of light upwards costs the users. It also increases the demand
for electricity. If lights, both commercial and private, were fitted with proper
reflectors, global warming would be reduced. We would help astronomers, save
money and help save the climate of the planet.
