Lost in the Unending Glow

Bangkok faces extreme light pollution, with inner city areas reaching the highest level (9) on the Bortle Scale. This artificial illumination disrupts human circadian rhythms—increasing risks of chronic diseases—and interferes with the behavior of nocturnal wildlife. Despite these risks, Thailand's current laws, including the Thailand Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act and the Public Health Act, lack specific provisions to regulate Artificial Light at Night (ALAN). The brief suggests that Bangkok adopt smart lighting and light curfews, similar to those in Paris and Hong Kong, to protect public health and ecosystems.

• Bangkok experiences extreme light pollution, with inner areas reaching a level of 9 on the Bortle Scale and outer regions ranging between levels 7 and 8. This contributes to a broader trend in Thailand where 61.5% of the population lives under light levels 50% above the natural level, rendering stars invisible.
• Light pollution in Bangkok negatively impacts human health by suppressing melatonin, which disrupts circadian rhythms. This disruption is linked to sleep disturbances, weakened immune function, and increased risks of obesity, diabetes, mood disorders, cardiovascular diseases, reproductive problems, and hormone-related cancers.
• Thailand lacks specific legislation to regulate excessive artificial lighting. While the Thailand Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act, B.E. 2535 (1992) recognizes light as a pollutant, and the Public Health Act, B.E. 2535 includes light intrusion, neither provides specific provisions or statutory classifications for Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) to ensure consistent enforcement.
• To address light pollution, Bangkok could implement smart lighting, urban planning strategies, and regulations such as light curfews and dimming programs for non-essential lights, similar to models used in Paris and Hong Kong.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2025). Lost in the Unending Glow. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/lost-in-the-unending-glow/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Lost in the Unending Glow. 2025. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/lost-in-the-unending-glow/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Lost in the Unending Glow |date=6 February 2025 |url=https://www.sei.org/perspectives/lost-in-the-unending-glow/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2025lost, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Lost in the Unending Glow}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/perspectives/lost-in-the-unending-glow/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }