Light pollution alarm, Italy black jersey:now the Manciano oasis is also at risk

The amount of artificial light is much higher than in other countries.The only really dark area is threatened by a wind farm

ROME – The skies of Italy are not in good health.Blame light pollution:too much artificial light rising upwards from the ground darkens the sky.This creates serious problems for astronomers, but Nature is also affected. Three times the amount of light looms over the skies of Italy as there is in Berlin, for example, and we are the black jersey among the G20 countries.World champions, yes, but of wickedness, he claims  the astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project, who, interviewed by the Dire Agency, also raises the case of Manciano, a small, uncontaminated and dark oasis in the Maremma, a paradise for lovers of the sky, which now risks disappearing due to the construction of a wind farm.

THE CASE OF MANCIANO, IN THE GROSSETANA MAREMMA

“Despite sadly holding this record as the absolute champion in terms of light pollution, our country has a surprise in store for us: there is an area on the Italian peninsula that appears miraculously unscathed from the point of view of light pollution.We are talking about the municipality of Manciano, of the southern portion of the Grosseto Maremma - explains Masi, speaking with Dire -.There, not surprisingly thanks to that pristine sky, there is a fervent study of the universe, astronomical research and scientific dissemination activities.It is a fortunate area also from the point of view of astronomical tourism. Unfortunately, a serious danger looms over that oasis, which I repeat has no equal in Italy:in fact, there is the idea of ​​installing an important wind farm right in Montauto, in the heart of this precious oasis friendly to the stars. I am an absolute supporter of the ecological transition and the technologies that facilitate it, starting with plants of this type.However, in this case, precisely if we want to honor the need for this transition as best as possible, I believe that the location was wrong because this plant will inevitably impact on those characteristics that make the Manciano area, the Montauto area, an unrepeatable place in Italy. Here, I hope there will be a rethink.I hope that a decision will be reached to move the plant elsewhere, to a place where the environmental impact is less or zero. It would frankly be a grave shame to lose the darkest and most starry area of ​​the Bel Paese. Let's hope that at least this time the stars will be able to convince, will be able to inspire an important rethink."

The rest of the country, as mentioned, he's not doing well. Light pollution is significant and also increases due to the crowding of low Earth orbit, where numerous satellites transit, clearly visible to those who are in the habit of scanning the sky. All obstacles for a correct observation of the sky. 

WHAT TO DO TO REDUCE LIGHT POLLUTION

“Unfortunately, Italy is the inglorious world champion in this wickedness of light pollution.In the G20 group, Italy, to be honest in the company of South Korea, is by far the least virtuous country, among the most polluted from this point of view, squandering upwards of hundreds of millions of euros every year. Yet it would take little to remedy the situation, perhaps by reducing the objective excessive amount of light that exists in our metropolises.Consider that in Italian cities there is roughly three times the amount of light that we find in the streets of Berlin, just to make a reference not too far from us.The market makes very useful technologies available, perhaps public lighting systems after a certain time they could turn off at 50% or in any case reduce the flow considering the fact that obviously the user is lower if not zero at certain hours of the night, especially in winter.It would take very little and the cost for these adjustments would be negligible, even in many cases zero, so much so that one wonders what we are waiting for to tackle this long-standing and serious almost exclusively Italian problem", reasons Masi.

In Italy, explains the astrophysicist, there is no national law to regulate the issue of light contamination. There are, however, several dedicated regional laws, which partially allow us to stem the phenomenon.

“Naturally - explains the astrophysicist - it is also up to citizens, if they are passionate about the sky, report to the relevant authorities, very often the local police,  contributing with this civic sense to compliance with these regulations and it is truly essential because this also contributes to the renowned energy saving.Paradoxically, the resolution and/or reduction of light pollution would quickly make, without the use of resources, without significant expenses, a fundamental contribution in the direction of energy saving".

In short, the future also passes through here: fewer lights, more clear skies.Less pollution, more savings. 

“In times when we think, by God seriously, about ecological transition, on making the environment as safe as possible, of course, it is essential to also reflect on safeguarding the purity of the night sky, or on the limitation of light pollution.Being able to appreciate the beauty of the sky - concludes Masi - without the excessive tide of invasive light that rises towards the sky from the top of our cities, is important from a cultural point of view, it reconnects us to a landscape that has been essential for millennia for our ancestors, it allows us to appreciate the theater of the Cosmos, the firmament object of study of one of the most extreme sciences, and allows us to study it at its best: losing the heritage of the sky means giving up an extraordinary cultural, scientific and human depth“.