For Immediate Release: March 26, 2008

Contacts:
, American Bird Conservancy, 202/234-7181 ext. 216

Earth Hour: Turning Lights Off Reduces Greenhouse Emissions, Protects Migratory Birds

American Bird Conservancy Says: Please Keep Unnecessary Lights Off during Spring and Fall Migration

(Washington, D.C.) American Bird Conservancy supports Earth Hour 2008, www.earthhour.org, the worldwide movement to turn out lights for one hour on Saturday, March 29th from 8:00-9:00 p.m. to send a powerful message about the need for action to combat global warming.

“Turning out your lights will save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and benefit migratory birds during spring migration,” said Karen Cotton, American Bird Conservancy’s Collisions Campaign Manager. “Earth Hour doesn’t have to be a one-day event. Many North American cities such as Chicago, Toronto, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Detroit have initiated ongoing Lights-Out programs to reduce greenhouse emissions, save money, and protect migrating birds.”

The bulk of spring migration dates from mid-March through June, while fall migration begins in mid-August, and extends through October. Many migratory birds fly at night, and when they are killed by collisions with large buildings and other structures, it is because of light.

Maps of Artificial Night Sky Brightness in North America. Map Credit: P. Cinzano, F. Falchi (University of Padova), C. D. Elvidge (NOAA National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder). Copyright Royal Astronomical Society. Reproduced from the Monthly Notices of the RAS by permission of Blackwell Science.

Birds evolved over millions of years to navigate their migration routes in dark skies, greatly aided by the light of the stars and moon to orient themselves on these flights. Starlight is made vastly less visible by the light pollution from our towns and cities, and thus interferes with the birds’ ability to reach their destinations safely. The above map illustrates light pollution for portions of the western hemisphere, and shows the great intensity of that pollution for the eastern portion of the United States.

Unfortunately, the artificial lights of our cities and towns present a serious hazard to migratory birds, particularly during times of low cloud cover and inclement weather. The birds seem to become disoriented by these lights, become attracted to lit structures, and often collide with them and each other, leading to their injury and death. Many such catastrophes have been documented, the worst incidents involving hundreds of birds killed at one building in a single night. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that as many as 900 million birds are killed in collisions each year.

Turning out lights, particularly on tall office buildings and apartments can make a dramatic difference for birds. The before and after photographs of Chicago shown below, (before and after 11 p.m. when downtown skyscrapers dim their lights during spring and fall migration) illustrate the difference the Lights Out Chicago program makes.

Two photos of the Chicago skyline taken before and after 11 pm on the same fall night in 2003. (Photo: Eric Fogleman)

“Everyone can help by extending their participation in Earth Hour to include turning out unnecessary lights for the duration of the night, particularly during periods of spring and fall migration,” said Cotton. “If you live in an apartment building or work in an office building, talk to the building management about turning off exterior flood lighting from night time until dawn, and encouraging residents to draw their blinds at night.”

“Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming,” said Earth Hour media contact Dan Forman of the World Wildlife Fund. “This simple act has captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world. On 31 March 2007, 2.2 million people and 2,100 Sydney, Australia businesses turned off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour. This massive collective effort reduced energy consumption by 10.2% for one hour, which is the equivalent effect of taking 48,000 cars off the road for a year.”

This year partner cities include: Adelaide, Atlanta, Bangkok, Brisbane, Canberra, Chicago, Christchurch, Copenhagen, Dublin, Manila, Melbourne, Montreal, Odense, Ottawa, Perth, Phoenix, San Francisco, Suva, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Vancouver, and others.

For more information on the impacts of collisions please see http://www.abcbirds.org/conservationissues/threats/collisions.html and for a factsheet on the impacts of global warming on birds, see http://www.abcbirds.org/conservationissues/globalwarming/global_warming_factsheet.pdf. American Bird Conservancy’s work on the collisions issue is supported by the Leon Levy Foundation.

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American Bird Conservancy is the only organization that works solely to conserve native wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. ABC acts to safeguard the rarest bird species, restore habitats, and reduce threats, while building capacity in the conservation movement. ABC is the voice for birds, ensuring that they are adequately protected; that sufficient funding is available for bird conservation; and that land is protected and properly managed to maintain viable habitat. ABC is a 501(c)(3) membership organization that is consistently awarded a top, four-star rating by the independent group, Charity Navigator.