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Brought to you by Penguin

How much light is too much light The Darkness Manifesto urges us to cherish natural darkness for the sake of the environment our own wellbeing and all life on earth

The worlds flora and fauna have evolved to operate in the natural cycle of day and night But constant illumination has made light pollution a major issue From space our planet glows brightly 24/7 By extending our day we have forced out the inhabitants of the night and disrupted the circadian rhythms necessary to sustain all living things Our cities streetlamps and neon signs are altering entire ecosystems

As a devoted friend of the night Johan Eklf encourages us to appreciate natural darkness its creatures and its unique benefits He ponders the beauties of the night sky traces the paths of lightdrunk moths and the dives of keeneyed owls and shows us the bioluminescent creatures of the deep oceans He writes passionately about the domino effect of damage we inflict by keeping the lights on insects failing to reproduce birds blinded and bewildered bats starving as they wait in vain for insects that only come out in the dark For humans lightinduced sleep disturbances impact our hormones and weight and can contribute to mental health problems

Eyeopening and ultimately encouraging The Darkness Manifesto offers simple steps that can benefit ourselves and the planet

The light bulb long the symbol of progress needs to be turned off To ensure a bright future we must embrace the darkness

Johan Eklf 2022 P Penguin Audio 2022