DARKNESS MANIFESTO

Winner of the Penn Libraries Book Prize in Sustainability Named a Best Book of the Year by Scientific American This timely and captivating look at the hidden impact of light pollution is rich in revelation and insight lyrical The Wall Street Journal and urges us to cherish natural darkness for the sake of the environment our own well being and all life on earth How much light is too much light Satellite pictures show our planet as a brightly glowing orb and in our era of constant illumination light pollution has become a major issue The world s flora and fauna have evolved to operate in the natural cycle of day and night But in the last 150 years we have extended our day and in doing so have forced out the inhabitants of the night and disrupted the circadian rhythms necessary to sustain all living things including ourselves In this well researched and surprisingly lyrical The New Statesman UK book Swedish conservationist Johan Eklöf urges us to appreciate natural darkness its creatures and its unique benefits He ponders the beauties of the night sky traces the errant paths of light drunk moths and the swift dives of keen eyed owls and shows us the bioluminescent creatures of the deepest oceans As a devoted friend of the night Eklöf reveal