Sir, – I see researchers from Harvard and Princeton are proposing to look for intelligent life elsewhere in the Universe using light from alien cities (Front page, November 5th). It has been estimated that more than 25 per cent of lighting on Earth is lost to the night sky. Such “light pollution” represents an enormous waste of energy (and money) that can be considerably reduced by improved lamp design, the introduction of intelligent lighting systems, etc, as has been done in a number of cities.
Reducing light pollution has the additional benefit that the beauty of the night sky can once again be appreciated by those living in our cities. While we all wonder whether there is intelligent life “out-there”, and sometimes whether there is any “down-here”, I humbly suggest light-pollution is not a sign of an intelligent race! – Yours, etc,