Already, and with good reason,light pollution is recognized as one of the most damaging legacies that current "civilization" is bequeathing to its children. Denying them the opportunity, even the right, to experience visually the majesty and awe of the universe has obvious repercussions for our science, and other contributors to this meeting are addressing those eloquently. But it is also critically important to place light pollution in the cadre of the general environmental degradation which unbridled technology is causing. The amount of power consumed by one outdoor light is only a minuscule drop in the ocean, but enough of those drops make an ocean. Using low-wattage bulbs, and getting more power out of them via halogen or LED technology, can ease the drain on the supply of power, but when several can be run, and run brighter, than a single tungsten lamp and cost is the only goal, the consumer simply installs more of them.
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