Tonight, step outside and lookup. What do you see? And hear? ? Chances are, unless you live way beyond the cityscape, you won't see the Milky Way but rather a lot of reflected artificial light.
It's become near-impossible to escape the ever-present hum of 21st-century living. Our days are punctuated with the buzz of traffic, TVs blaring, house alarms, nearby construction sites, drones, leaf blowers and lawnmowers. Even nature walks are often disrupted by cellphones and loud music. And, at night, neighbours' intrusive external lighting comes streaming in through our windows.
The sounds of silence at least of nature – are slipping or further and further away from us, much like the sight of a sky lit up by nothing but stars.
Local statistics are not available, but the numbers out of the US are alarming enough: 97% of its population is exposed to aviation and highway noise. Quiet is nearly extinct there.
A recent report by the Institute for Futures Research at Stellenbosch University reiterates that quiet spaces are rapidly vanishing. 'In recent decades, dark skies have been recognised as in need of protection against light pollution. So, too, it is time we recognise that quiet spaces in a world full of noise also need protection. Our growing urbanised world is a noisy place. Noise pollution, along with air pollution, is cited as a factor in quality of life.'
Hello, darkness,my old friend
This story is from the May/June 2022 edition of Fairlady.
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This story is from the May/June 2022 edition of Fairlady.
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