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Chinese Scientists Made Glowing Plants with Firefly DNA to Replace Streetlights
(www.zmescience.com)
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this post was submitted on 10 Aug 2026
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These will never have any meaningful effect unless you can convince an entire city of people they don't need to daylight their yards/streets/closed businesses at night "for safety", and until you can convince an entire planet of businesses their billboards and signs can fuck right off.
There's such an unbelievable amount of light pollution on this planet and 99% of the population is indifferent at best, and actively opposed because they think their lights are "pretty/tasteful/necessary" at worst.
Even if you had a community commit to these lights, all it takes is one distracted driver mowing down a pedestrian crossing the street to send neighbors into a tizzy to get a city council to bring back the 660000 lumen flood lights. Who cares that the car had headlights, the community needs something to blame and played the safety card. Game over.
/rant, sorry about that but I hate light pollution so much and feel like this is always a losing battle. It can be done but fuck people.
You made me remember of a period around 2012 when, due to my country being under external financial supervision, most cities and town opted to disconnect street lights to save on the energy bill.
Turns out that anywhere between 35% and 60% of all street lights are superfluous, there was no increase in insecurity and close to nobody felt the need to supplement the light outside with their own.
In my own little town, nights became quieter. Foxes, owls and other night dwellers could be seen roaming.
People complained but when met with no other option adapted and adapted fast and well. Many street ligths, previously using sodium lamps, were changed to LED, allowing for many lamps to be removed.
I would personally like to have less lamps in the streets and those with lower intensity. It could be done. This isn't London anymore.
I get it, but I have lived in places that would adopt this shit, or have serious 'non-native plant, are we sure its sterile?' concerns be what blocks it.