Lost in Light
As a kid, I remember marvelling at the fact that I could see stars in Hong Kong, albeit all the way out in the countryside, where there weren’t any skyscrapers in sight. The familiar car horns and rumbling of the trams were gone as well, instead replaced by a foreign deafening silence. Being in the outdoors - it was so different to what was normal - made me appreciate all the opportunities I had to take a break from the city. I’ve come to recognize and love the two sides of Hong Kong: the international, vibrant and multicultural city that we know and love, and also the countryside that brings a sense of tranquility to our hectic urban lives.
Much later, I found out that the reason that I could only see stars was because of pollution, specifically, light pollution. There are many types of pollution: air pollution, water pollution and land pollution; this we know, these are the ones that are the most talked about. However, what I found growing up was that light pollution was seldom talked about, since the environmental impacts aren’t as straightforward as the others. Simply put, light pollution is defined by the “excessive, misdirected or obtrusive artificial light (https://www.globeatnight.org/light-pollution.php)”. Light pollution disrupts the natural nocturnal activity of wildlife, disrupts sleeping habits of humans, and utilizes an unnecessary amount of precious energy resources.
Hong Kong has a world famous skyline, with much of it due to the night lights that give the city its vibrancy. It’s the cover image of Hong Kong and the main strategy the tourism board uses to continuously bring in more business. We have the world’s worst light pollution recorded, especially due to the LED billboards that dot densely populated areas such as Tsim Sha Tsui, Causeway Bay, and Victoria Harbour. In 2013, a study conducted by Hong Kong University (HKU) found “the city’s urban night sky to be as much as 1,000 times brighter than international norms.” Tsim Sha Tsui is among the worst, reaching 1,200 times brighter. Much of it is due to the fact that empty buildings are lit up through the night, despite being met by empty streets.
Hong Kong is also home to a nightly light show performance. Every night at 8 pm, 44 buildings on both Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula participate in the “world’s largest permanent light-and-sound show”, called the Symphony of Lights, organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. It lasts for 10 minutes and includes a range of laser lights, projection lighting, pyrotechnic fireworks, and LEDs. It is arguably one of the most famous attractions in Hong Kong, and brings a lot of business to both sides of Victoria Harbour as well. However, debate often arises surrounding the success of the show and its impact towards the environment. Professor Jason Pun (of the University of Hong Kong’s Department of Physics) says that while it is unlikely that regulation of the show’s light usage would have significant impacts on the light pollution of Hong Kong, it would still reduce its nuisance on neighbouring residents. (http://nightsky.physics.hku.hk/file/Morrison_Laura_News_analysis.pdf).
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) holds a global event called Earth Hour on the last Saturday of March every year. The event encourages everyone to turn off their lights for an hour, from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time. In Hong Kong, iconic landmarks such as IFC and other financial buildings have their non-essential lights switched off, and the Symphony of Lights shows are suspended as well. At home, we can turn off our own lights to show solidarity in reducing our environmental impact.
Hong Kong Earth Hour Time Lapse Video (2016)
“Hong Kong’s 2016 Earth Hour Timelapse Video” (from Earth Hour’s official Twitter)
There seems to be no stopping the ever growing illuminated billboards and LED video screens that will continue to be the face and legacy of our multicultural city. Many will agree when I say that Hong Kong is a truly beautiful city to call home - but at what cost?
