Bright neon signs and huge flashing advertising boards have become ubiquitous in Hong Kong, but for some residents the impact on their daily lives, and the value of their property, has become intolerable.
Chiu Mung-ngor bought her flat for $3.3 million on the 32nd floor of a luxury apartment building but has since struggled to rent it out after a three-storey LED advertising billboard was erected on the roof of a neighbouring shopping mall.
The mall called ‘The One’ claims to have turned down the brightness of the signboard according to the Environmental Protection Department but Mrs Mung-ngor disputes this.
Before the city’s airport was moved to Lantau Island in 2000 flashing lights were banned. Since Friends Of The Earth claim there has been a large increase in the amount of light pollution.
Their environmental affairs manager Hahn Chu Hon-keung said: “The population has grown less than six percent in the last ten years but the energy consumption jumped to 80 percent. What wastage.”
Such is a consequence of living in a metropolitan city: excessive light pollution. Given the relative humidity in much of East and Southeast Asia, opening your window to allow fresh air circulate your apartment is vital in preventing or reducing mold growth. But how can one do that, if one wishes to block out the noise and light from outside? Curtains and some blinds can hinder air flow but are absolutely necessary in some areas, according to the article. It’s time we rethink how we perceive lighting at night. Light pollution has brandished its sword and it’s time we fight back by blocking its attack by shielding our lights, then riposte and slay light pollution – once and for all. All for one and one for all!
Let there be night!
