The future looks bright: light pollution rises on a global scale

Researchers said on Wednesday satellite data showed that Earth's artificially lit outdoor surface at night grew by about 2 percent annually in brightness and area from 2012 to 2016, underscoring concerns about the ecological effects of light pollution on people and animals.The rate of growth observed in developing countries was much faster than in already brightly lit rich countries.The researchers said the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather satellite data may understat