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Scientists, polar bears, and Saturday morning cartoons all agree: pollution is the worst.
科学家、北极熊和周六早上的动画片都一致认为：污染是最糟糕的。
And the dangers posed by noxious chemicals poured into the water or the air are dire.
倾倒在水中或空气中的有毒化学物质所造成的危险是可怕的。
But what about light pollution?
但光污染呢？
Can that be so bad?
有那么糟糕吗？
Is light pollution even really pollution at all?
光污染真的是污染吗？
Pollution is usually described as the addition of any substance or form of energy into an environment at a rate faster than that environment can deal with it.
任何物质或能量进入环境的速度高于环境能处理的速度就是污染。
For example, natural sources like volcanoes can release sulfur dioxide and other chemicals into the air causing acid rain.
例如，火山等自然资源会向空气中释放二氧化硫和其他化学物质，导致酸雨。
The natural amount of acid in rain rarely causes problems.
雨水中自然量的酸性几乎不会造成问题。
Soil can often neutralize a certain amount of acid.
土壤通常能中和一定量的酸。
But industrial processes like generating power from fossil fuels can pump more chemicals into the atmosphere than natural processes can handle.
但是，像化石燃料发电这样的工业过程会向大气中排放比自然过程能处理的更多的化学物质。
The result is more acid rain and more stress on plants and animals.
其结果是更多的酸雨，导致动植物的更多压力。
We call that pollution.
我们称之为污染。
And believe it or not, light pollution acts much the same way.
信不信由你，光污染也是如此
Life evolved to cope with natural light from the stars and the moon.
生命进化是为了适应来自星星和月亮的自然光。
But too much light is hard for nature and humanity to handle.
但是，太多的光线对自然和人类来说都很难处理。
It sounds a little strange to complain that the nighttime is too bright.
抱怨夜晚太亮听起来有点奇怪。
But if you look at the night sky as it's seen in a city and then as it's seen far from human habitation, you can see just how much difference light pollution can make.
但如果你看一看城市中的夜空，然后再看看远离人类居住的夜空，你就会发现光污染会造成多么大的不同。
And it's not just big cities that are affected.
受影响的不仅仅是大城市。
Studies suggest that 80% of America can no longer see the Milky Way when they look into the sky.
研究表明，80%的美国人在仰望天空时再也看不到银河系了。
Strangely enough, light pollution can actually make it hard to see.
奇怪的是，光污染实际上会让人看不到。
Artificial lights can help light a dark street, or they can dazzle sensitive eyes adjusted to the dark.
人造灯光可以帮助照亮黑暗的街道，也可以让适应黑暗的敏感眼睛眼花缭乱。
Have you ever been walking or driving at night and found yourself blinded by a car's headlights?
你有没有在晚上走路或开车时，发现自己被汽车的前灯弄瞎了？
Well, imagine how owls feel.
好吧，想象一下猫头鹰是什么感觉。
But perhaps the most significant thing light pollution does is mess with sleep.
但光污染造成的最大影响可能是扰乱睡眠。
Circadian rhythms are the cycles of behavior and activity that organisms experience usually over the course of a day-night cycle.
昼夜节律是生物行为和活动的周期，通常是昼夜循环的过程。
Periods of darkness are very important to getting the right amount of sleep.
黑暗时期对于获得适当的睡眠是非常重要的。
So when artificial lights brighten the sky, it's like nearby animals are trying to go to sleep with their bedroom lights still on.
因此，当人造灯光照亮天空时，就像附近的动物试图在卧室的灯还亮着的情况下睡觉一样。
It can affect the circadian rhythms of nocturnal animals too.
它也会影响夜间动物的昼夜节律。
Any disruption in the light-dark cycle can cost animals sleep and affect their health.
光-暗循环的任何中断都会使动物失去睡眠，并影响它们的健康。
Artificial light can even impact the migration patterns of birds.
人造光甚至会影响鸟类的迁徙模式。
Some migratory birds use light from the moon to navigate at night.
一些候鸟利用来自月球的光线在夜间导航。
And bright lights can confuse them, affecting their journeys.
而强光会迷惑它们，影响它们的旅程。
Light pollution is real.
光污染是真实存在的。
And it's harmful.
而且这是有害的。
Luckily, it's easier to clean up than many other kinds of pollution.
幸运的是，它比许多其他类型的污染更容易清理。
We can encourage homes and businesses to turn off their lights when possible.
我们可以鼓励家庭和企业在可能的时候关灯。
Or we can add shielding to lights to keep them focused where they need to be.
或者，我们可以为灯光添加屏蔽，使其保持聚焦在需要的位置。
If we treat light pollution as the problem it is, we can have a healthier ecosystem and a more beautiful night sky.
如果我们正视光污染的问题，我们可以拥有更健康的生态系统和更美丽的夜空。
Plus, we can keep scientists, polar bears, and Saturday morning cartoons off our backs.
此外，也可以让科学家、北极熊和周六早上的卡通节目不再“啰嗦”污染的事了。
