Petition to protect the night environment

The Light Pollution Awareness Group, a local section of the International Dark-Sky Association, has signed a petition to UNESCO against light pollution.

Over 6,000 signatures were collected during the European meeting `Light pollution and the protection of the night environment` held in Venice earlier this month under the patronage of the UNESCO Office for Science in Europe and the Veneto Region.

The petition calls on all heads of government to introduce proper exterior lighting legislation to protect the night time environment from light pollution and to adopt laws against light pollution.

The group said that in Malta over Lm70,000 was wasted on lighting shining into the night sky.

Yet, it said, effective measures could be taken to protect the environment by planning street lighting, sports floodlighting and other major lighting installations at the design stage.